


In The Dark (Like Meteorites)

by dafeedil



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: (v lowkey though), Anal Sex, Body Paint, Body Shots, Body Worship, Domestic Kink, Double Penetration, Fluff and Smut, Frottage, Light Dom/sub, M/M, Morning After, Multi, Multiple Orgasms, OT3, One Night Stands, Overstimulation, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Porn with Feelings, Shower Sex, Spitroasting, Threesome - M/M/M, again very very lowkey/light, cuddles and kisses, don't let the length of this fool you this is basically just all porn, established Michael Clifford/Calum Hood, except also, i almost forgot that oops, it's just implied dynamics, it's literally just boys falling for each other and gettin it on, just shameless smut tbh, nightclubs, nothing in this fic is gonna make you question reality
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-16
Updated: 2015-12-16
Packaged: 2018-05-07 00:15:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 26,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5436086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dafeedil/pseuds/dafeedil
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ashton falls for Calum at a nightclub, and then for Calum's boyfriend, too.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In The Dark (Like Meteorites)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [wynw00d](https://archiveofourown.org/users/wynw00d/gifts).



> So, a couple of months ago now, someone sent me an ask about Malum at a blacklight party. But I'd been obsessing hard over Mashlum at the time (I always am, what's new lmao), so I spun it into this. It took forever to write, because of school and work and overall lack of inspiration at times but!!! It's here!! And I'm gifting it to Autumn because she's been here every step of the way since I texted her in all caps about writing some OT3 porn back in mid October.
> 
> Emi made a great playlist for this fic that can be found [on 8tracks](http://8tracks.com/lucasashtons/i-just-wanna-do-you-in-the-paint)
> 
> Essentially edited this all myself so any mistakes (which there are bound to be) are my own RIP

Ashton isn't exactly sure what he expected to be doing for extra cash as a third year art student. Maybe he thought at one point that waiting tables was good, or even that working as a cashier at some clothing store would suffice.

What he didn't really ever expect to be doing, despite the fact that he's an art major, is _this_.

Decorating the bodies of drunken college students in glow in the dark and blacklight paint on Saturday nights isn't necessarily the largest or most substantial source of income for someone trying to pay back student loans, but it's _something_ , and it's fun, for the most part, so Ashton doesn't really complain. He gets a kick out of the conversations he has with people drunk off their asses, loves it even more when they tip him in the form of refilling his drink.

He started this gig a few months back, when Ashley started working as a bartender at the club and realized the potential of having a trained artist readily available. His first trip to the club had only confirmed that for him, too, since a majority of the paint on people's bodies that he could see was simply a mess of splatter and random streaks in no decipherable patterns.

So now he comes in on Saturday nights—when the club turns on their black lights and everything glows (down to the shot glasses), and it all feels a little bit magical—armed with paintbrushes and hundreds of designs in mind.

And truthfully, he loves it. He really does. Even though the people aren’t actually required to pay him and the paint that the club provides isn't very high quality, and even though he gets hit on by giggly girls who want him to paint their chests far too often, he still loves it. Mostly because it's a good excuse for him to let loose and get creative in a way he doesn't always get to in his classes.

He's set up at the bar, dozens of paint cups on the counter beside him, and the girl whose legs he's just finished painting hot pink zebra stripes onto thanks him in the form of a soft kiss to the cheek and a fiver that she slides over to him. She whispers her name to him, and he forgets it instantly, mostly because the music's so loud he didn't really hear her in the first place.

It's the first break he's had in nearly two hours, the line that had been building since before he arrived at the club finally dissipating as the girl scampers back off to the dance floor alongside her friends that had been giggling behind her the whole time he painted. He sighs, stretching so hard he feels his spine popping, and it makes him wince slightly.

"Workin' hard or hardly workin'?" He hears Ashley shout. She's a couple feet away behind the counter, filling a tray of shot glasses with what looks like tequila. Her normally aqua hair is almost blinding under the blacklights, vibrant in a way that makes Ashton want to capture the color in one of his paint cups. Makes him want to paint the town with it.

He laughs at her, shrugging as he sets to reorganizing the brushes on the counter in front of him. It's hard to think with all the loud music playing, and just as he's about to open his mouth to reply to her, the DJ starts shouting something into his microphone that Ashton still wishes the club wouldn't provide for him.

Giving up, he lifts the five dollar bill the girl had given him, and Ashley laughs before walking over and snatching it from him, typing something into the register before she places the money into the till and sets to making him another cocktail.

"Don't look like you hate your life so much," his best friend jokes, giving him a wink, "people are gonna start running away from you. And then who's gonna buy you drinks, huh? _Me_?"

Ashton rolls his eyes, but the smile that spreads to his face is unavoidable. "Don't act like you wouldn't."

Ashley mirrors his smile, setting his refilled cocktail down in front of him before she flicks him on the nose. He crinkles it afterwards, offended, and she just leans forward to give it a peck with her lips. He mumbles something about her having cooties, an age old joke between them, and her grin gets even wider, like he's made her so happy with his subtle comment that she can't even contain it.

"Careful. I don't like you so much that I'll unconditionally buy you alcohol." She retorts, giving him another wink before she walks back over to finish up with the tray of tequila.

Ashton's still chuckling even after she's gone, rinsing out a couple of his brushes in the cup of murky water as he sips the drink she's made. It's strong, and only a little bit fruity, but that's the way he likes it.

He's sort of in his own little world when it happens. Too busy watching as the pretty colors leak out of the bristles and into the water, he's not paying attention to much of anything else, and the music is so loud he can't hear unless someone's shouting at him, and he thinks that's probably why he very nearly jumps out of his seat when someone plops down onto the barstool next to his.

A decent sized portion of the cocktail spills out of Ashton's glass when he startles, creating a small mess just out of the way enough to avoid getting in the open lids of the paint—which he's grateful for—but not far enough away to avoid splashing onto the shirt of whatever stranger has just taken a seat beside him. A light stain starts forming on the white t-shirt, and Ashton almost passes out from all the blood rushing to heat his cheeks, practically tripping over himself to start making apologies.

"Fuck," Ashton hisses, a rough start. "I mean, sorry, um. Shit, I'm so sorry."

Before he can even look up at the person's face, Ashton's reaching over the bar to grab a couple napkins, but before he gets a grip on any, a caramel colored hand wraps around his wrist to stop him.

"Don't worry about it." A voice tells him, the tone as smooth and rich as the color of the owner's skin. It reminds Ashton of honey, or something just as sweet, and it sucks him in so rapidly it very nearly makes him dizzy.

The face that the voice accompanies is as beautiful as Ashton imagined it probably would be, a perfect mix of features that send Ashton reeling for a second, drifting aimlessly in his own mind for the words that could _possibly_ describe the person sitting in front of him.

Squishy, is the first word that he comes up with. The boy's cheeks are full enough that Ashton could probably pinch them between his thumb and forefinger and still have a decent amount leftover. It doesn't remind him of baby fat, though; because this boy's jawline is so sharp Ashton's willing to bet it could cut him.

His eyes are dark—so, so dark—like chocolate (a major contrast from the hazel hue of his own), but also like there's something else swirling underneath the top coat. Ashton can't place what that underlying color is, can't find anything that corresponds to it on all of the palettes he knows by heart. He can't put a name to it. The boy's hair is dark, too, and Ashton wonders if maybe _everything_ about this boy is dark and deep and rich.

"You scared me, is all," Ashton defends himself weakly, and he'll definitely deny the squeak in his voice until the day he dies. He clears his throat, embarrassed, but the boy just beams, like he thinks it's something cute.

What frustrates Ashton to no end about the boy beaming, though, is that it squishes up his face an unholy amount more, making his eyes crinkle and the dimples in his cheeks come out of hiding with the wideness of his grin, and Ashton swears it's not even humanly possible for a person to be as cute as this boy is.

"I'm sorry about that." The boy says smoothly.

Ashton coughs, moving his drink over to the opposite side of the counter so Ashley can clear it away at some point and rescue Ashton from somehow making a bigger fool out of himself.

"I'm Ashton," he says suddenly, without even really thinking about what he's doing. "Like, um. In case you need a name to cuss out when you take that shirt to the dry cleaners." He chews on his lip for a second, feeling small, and he fights the urge to stare at the outline of the boy's barely-there abs that have become visible thanks to the liquid on his white shirt. "Fuck, I'm so sorry about the stain."

The boy looks down at his shirt to assess the damage, almost as if it's an afterthought. Ashton watches as his eyelids fall slightly, admiring the thickness of his lashes as they cast a slight shadow across the tops of his cheeks. "It's not that bad, it'll come out in the wash." The boy looks back up, smile still present on his face, and he gives Ashton a wink. "No dry cleaners necessary," he jokes, before sticking out his hand. "I'm Calum."

Bashfully, Ashton wraps his hand around Calum's own, determinedly not lingering on how much longer his fingers are, on how much larger his hands are in comparison to the boy's. On how the second they touch, the thumping of the bass and the shouts of the hundreds of people in the club dulls to background noise.

He must let his gaze linger on their clasped hands for too long, because he feels Calum starting to pull away, and Ashton worries for a moment that he's scared Calum off already. But then, Calum's shooting him a reassuring smile, nodding to the cups of paint on the counter beside Ashton as he reaches for the hem of his shirt and pulls upwards.

And, well. If Ashton had been at a loss for words before, he’s definitely fucking speechless now.

"I was hoping you could paint me something." Calum says excitedly, twisting the shirt in his hands until it's small enough to shove into the back pocket of his jeans. Ashton desperately attempts not to stare at the new expanse of skin Calum's showing off to him, but it's difficult not to, and Ashton's definitely weaker than he'd like to admit when it comes to attractive, shirtless boys.

Swallowing hard, Ashton brings his eyes up, catching Calum's that are sparkling with whatever that underlying tone Ashton's yet to name is. "Like what?"

Calum's lips twitch up into a smirk, and he reaches forward to brush a stray curl out of Ashton's face, tuck it back into place. "I dunno," he says, shrugging. "Something pretty?"

Ashton's throat is suddenly drier than it's been all night, and blindly, he reaches for the cocktail that's luckily still sitting where he'd moved it to. He throws it back, probably looking just as flustered as he feels, and Calum keeps right on smirking the whole time, like he knows exactly what he's doing.

"Pretty. I can do pretty." Ashton says once he's downed the drink, looking over at Calum as the boy shifts his stool closer to Ashton's by a few inches. Feeling brave, he adds, "Won't take much, though, 'cause you're pretty enough as it is," and the giggle his dumb pickup line brings out of Calum is entirely worth the year it probably shaved off of Ashton's life to say it.

"I like you." Calum declares, as if he's suddenly made up his mind about something. He nods his head a few seconds later, like a confirmation, and the sheer adorableness of it has Ashton grinning so hard his cheeks hurt.

"I like you, too, Calum." Ashton replies, even though he's not sure Calum was really looking for reciprocation. Mostly it just feels right to say it, because it's true.

Calum smiles again, almost like he never stops doing so, and he leans his torso marginally closer to Ashton's. It's such a small movement that normally, it might go unnoticed, but Ashton is so completely _aware_ of Calum right now that even the breaths he takes feel like milestones he needs to take note of. And Ashton's not sure what that lean means, or what he's supposed to do with it, but the way Calum's looking at him feels just a little bit dangerous.

"Okay," Ashton coughs, leaning back to rearrange his paint cups. With slightly shaky fingers, he reaches for a brush, looking back to Calum's chest as he starts mentally searching through his repertoire for something that's worthy of gracing the brown skin. Something as stunning as Calum is. Something that won't take away from the _real_ beauty that is the boy adorning the art.

"Don't think too hard about it." Calum prompts, and Ashton feels his eyes widen. "Just pick a color and go. Don't spend forever trying to find the perfect design."

Ashton feels his heart pound a little faster at Calum's words, at how in tune with Ashton's thoughts he already seems to be. And Ashton's not big on the idea of love at first sight, he's really not, but Calum's starting to leave something of a lasting impression, and they've only known each other for less than ten minutes.

He doesn't know how to tell Calum that it's impossible to comprehend the idea of putting any design less than perfect on the boy's body, but somehow Ashton finds it in himself to just nod, trading out the brush he's been holding for a slightly thicker one.

Without paying much attention, Ashton dips the brush in a cup, wiping off the excess before he poises to start painting Calum's chest. Gently, like he's easing Calum into it, Ashton rests a hand on the boy's shoulder, ignoring the way his belly flutters when Calum shivers. He has to tell himself over and over that it's not his touch that's done it, that Calum would've shivered regardless, or else he knows his brain will take that realization and run with it.

"Starting now," Ashton whispers absentmindedly, unsure if Calum is actually able to hear him, he's so quiet. The music seems louder now, somehow, like maybe since they're not looking into each other's eyes anymore, reality has come rushing back to a head.

The ideas flow freely the second that Ashton places the brush to Calum's chest, neon green standing out against his brown skin. Instantly, Ashton feels refreshed, inspired, and it's far too easy to press in more closely to the boy in front of him so that he can see his work a little better.

Calum's good about staying still the whole time Ashton paints him, only once hitching his breath and tensing up when Ashton swirls the brush down to dance along his tummy. He doesn't even have to tell Calum not to move, Calum's just that good, and several times Ashton finds himself biting back praise that he's not sure Calum would be okay with.

Humming, Ashton tucks the brush behind his ear, blindly reaching for a new one with slimmer bristles. He dips it in darker green, adding smaller, more intricate designs to dance along the outside of the main one.

It feels a little soon to be done, but the design is rather simple, so after Ashton curls a strip of green around Calum's shoulder and wipes away a stray smear with the pad of his thumb, he looks back up at Calum's face and nods.

Calum isn't looking at him, though. Instead, Calum's eyes are locked on his torso, jaw dropped slightly as he admires the work Ashton's done. One of his hands reaches to touch, to trace along the swirls and vines of green that Ashton painted on him, but he catches himself right before he would've made contact and ended up smudging it.

Nervously, Ashton clears his throat. "Is it pretty enough?"

His voice must bring Calum back from wherever he'd floated off to, because suddenly the boy's head is snapping up, glazed over eyes meeting Ashton's. "Are you kidding?" He asks, sounding like he's in disbelief. "This is more than pretty, Ashton. This is _beautiful_. How much do I owe you?" Ashton shakes his head, opening his mouth to protest, but Calum just interrupts him. "No, no. Don't tell me I don't need to pay you, because I do. You've got a gift. So again, how much do I owe you?"

"Really, I do this for free, you don't owe me anything." Ashton lies, which he knows he's bad at. That fact is only confirmed when Calum rolls his eyes fondly, lifting a hand to flag down one of the bartenders.

"If you're going to be stubborn about it, then I'll just buy you a drink, yeah?" Calum asks, though it sounds more like a statement of fact. It takes Ashton a few seconds too long to nod, and by the time he finally figures out how to move his body and do it, Calum's already shifted his attention to the bartender that's come over. Not Ashley, but one of her friends, he thinks. "What are you drinking?" Calum tacks on as an afterthought.

"Just, um. A pint is good." Ashton spits out, even though the thought of tossing back a beer right now doesn't really do it for him. It's just the first thing he's able to come up with, and he doesn't want to make himself seem more awkward than he already has by taking too many moments to come up with a drink he actually wants.

Calum chuckles, nodding to the bartender. "A pint, then," he tells the bartender, and as she turns to get the drink, he grabs his wallet out of his pocket.

"You don't have to buy me a drink." Ashton says, even though it's pretty much too late now. It still feels right to say it.

Calum turns to face him, and Ashton's stunned into silence by the vibrant glow of his design under the blacklights. "I know I don't _have_ to. But I want to. You're sweet, you deserve to have somebody buy you drinks."

Ashton's definitely still blushing when the bartender sets the tall glass down on the counter, the clank of it seeming loud against the lacquer despite the volume of all the voices and the heaviness of the music throughout the club. He keeps his gaze on the amber liquid as Calum slides some money to the bartender, waving slightly as she saunters away.

"Thanks." Ashton mumbles, and Calum just smiles his wide dimply grin again.

It's sort of intimidating, the way Calum stares at him after that. His eyes keep flitting around Ashton's face, like he can't decide where he wants them to settle, or like there's too much going on for him to take it in all at once. Ashton gets it, though; he feels the same way when he looks at Calum directly. Like Calum's just a little too bright.

"Hey," Calum exclaims suddenly, his fingers reaching out and pulling lightly at the hem of Ashton's button up. "D'you wanna dance?"

It's a tempting offer, truthfully. Ashton's not exactly _skilled_ when it comes to dancing, but he enjoys it enough to say yes in normal circumstances.

But this doesn't really feel like normal circumstances. This feels like something a little bit more than ordinary, and despite usually having spectacular luck whenever he's on the pull, Ashton actually feels out of his realm sitting here next to Calum.

Shrugging, Ashton wraps his fingers around the glass in front of him, hoping the cold will do something about his embarrassingly sweaty palms. It doesn't do much of anything, really, but.

"Um," is a rough start, but it's what comes out of Ashton's mouth first. It makes Calum twitch his lips, hinting on a smile, endeared. "I usually paint until like twelve, so." It's not a lie, which helps, but it also sounds hideously like an excuse. It's not like he's tethered to this barstool, he could literally walk away at any point to join Calum on the dance floor—nobody's actually _hired_ him to sit here.

Calum doesn't fight him on it, though. Instead, he readjusts the grip he still has on the sliver of Ashton's shirt, rolling the fabric between his thumb and forefinger absentmindedly. Suavely, he asks, "Wanna dance at twelve, then?"

Ashton makes a noise that passes as agreement, but is weak enough that he could probably play it off as not confirmation if he needs to.

"Okay, then." Calum concludes, smiling wide. It's a gorgeous smile, one that shows off all his teeth and crinkles up his cheeks and the corners of his eyes. He looks fond, then, staring at Ashton like he can't quite figure him out but loves the fact that he's not able to. "I'll see you at twelve."

Ashton holds his breath when Calum pushes off the barstool and onto his feet. He's too weak not to let his eyes wander, falling along the ridges of muscle in Calum's back as he turns away from him for a brief second. His jeans are too tight, probably, but they hug the boy's thighs so well that Ashton's tongue feels heavy, his throat dry.

He almost squeaks in embarrassment when Calum throws a glance over his shoulder, winking quickly before he turns back away and starts over towards the dance floor. The green swirls Ashton had drawn on him glow even more vibrantly under the more intense blacklights across the club, and Ashton's maybe finding himself wishing he'd accepted the offer to escort Calum to the floor.

He's still staring in the direction Calum had wandered off to when suddenly, Ashley's crowding his line of sight, her jacket in hand. She's likely about to head out on break, maybe to sneak in a smoke out back before she has to get back behind the counter.

But because she's Ashley, and because she's Ashton's best friend, she has to make some sort of comment first. Of _course_ she does.

"Alright, Casanova. What's the likelihood? One to ten." She says, eyes sparkling as she smirks at him.

He rolls his eyes, shoving her shoulder. As he takes a sip of his beer, he asks, "The likelihood of what?"

Her eyes widen slightly, her jaw dropping like it's obvious. "That you'll take that guy home with you? C'mon, Ash, he was all over you, and you can't tell me you weren't all kinds of heart eyes. So, on a scale from one to ten, what are the odds?"

Ashton chuckles, shaking his head. "Cut it out, I literally just met him."

"So?" She jokes, taking Ashton's glass out of his hands and stealing a sip for herself before she hands it back to him. "Just because you don't know each other that well doesn't mean you can't go home together. You looked like you wanted to take him apart right here. No, shut up, you did."

He knows he's blushing furiously again, and his only consolation is the fact that it's awkwardly lit enough in the club that maybe Ashley won't draw attention to it.

"Fine. Five and a half, maybe." Ashton says, simply because he knows Ashley won't fuck off until he gives her an answer.

She grins, satisfied, before she pats him on the shoulder. "Atta boy. I'm gonna go have a smoke, see you in twenty." She says, pushing away from the counter and walking towards the back door where people usually sneak out for smoke breaks.

*******

Once Ashley's gone, he's basically alone for a solid half an hour. He tries to look for Calum a few times, but it's so crowded that it's basically pointless, and he opts for making small talk with some of the other people at the bar. Everyone's pretty young, mid twenties and below for the most part, so it's easy to make conversation about school and jobs, but it's still not fun, exactly.

It gets a little better when he gets a second rush of people, a small line forming at the bar as he starts back up painting designs. But the rush is just that, a _rush_ , and once he's painted about ten people it goes back to being dead.

It must be just the right amount of time, though, because before he knows it, a brown eyed beauty is sitting down on the stool beside him again, that heart-stopping smile etched on his face.

"It's midnight," Calum observes, nodding to Ashton's nearly empty cups of paint. "You about done?"

Ashton nods, pushing all the cups closer together and putting his brushes in the water. "Yeah, I'm good. You have fun out there?"

"Would've been more fun with you." Calum pouts, plump bottom lip jutting out as he does, and Ashton has to beat back the urge to lean forward and nip at it with his teeth just to hear what kind of sound it might bring out of the boy.

"Well I'm going with you now, aren't I?" Ashton teases, smirking at Calum when the boy cocks his head to the side. _Like a puppy_ , Ashton notes.

Calum's eyes trail over Ashton's torso, searching, before he looks back at Ashton's face. "Not looking like that, you can't."

It's Ashton's turn to pout, his brows furrowing as he looks down at himself. "What's wrong with how I look?" He hates how self conscious he sounds, because he doesn't _feel_ self conscious. He looks good, he knows he does. He looks _classy_ , in his tight black jeans and even tighter button up shirt.

He feels fingers at his chin, lifting his gaze back up, and Calum's giving him a gentle smile. "You look great, just. Too clean. You've gotta get a little messy in a place like this." And yeah, Ashton supposes Calum would know, since he's the one covered in body paint.

Calum reaches over to the side, dipping his finger in one of the paint cups, and Ashton swallows hard when he feels Calum bringing that finger up to touch lightly over his cheek. He's staring at Calum's adorably focused expression, biting back a fond laugh when he feels Calum trace out a simple heart with the paint.

They don't move for a long minute, Ashton just sort of staring and Calum retracing over the heart like he wants an excuse to keep their bodies touching, no matter how small the contact is.

"There," Calum says distantly, his eyes glued a little too obviously to Ashton's mouth, not far from where he's painted the heart. "That's better."

"That's all?" Ashton prompts, licking subtly over his upper lip and feeling his heart pound harder when Calum makes a small noise. "I should probably have some more on me, yeah?"

Calum bites his lip on a smile, eyes flitting down to the one unfastened button on Ashton's shirt. "I mean. I'm no artist, but I could probably do a couple more. If you just..." He trails off, reaching out and hesitantly pulling Ashton's collar, exposing a sliver of his chest. "If you took this off, probably."

He feels hot all over, suddenly, with Calum's fingers just barely running across the skin of his chest, through the fine hairs there. It would be too easy to say yes, to practically rip the shirt off of himself, but he has to save some amount of modesty. Has to leave at least something to be desired.

So he wraps his fingers around Calum's wrist, gently pulling the boy's hand away from his shirt. Calum whines lowly, and Ashton chuckles, feeling empowered as he leans in and kisses Calum's knuckles gently. It's harder to reject Calum than it should be, but he knows if he lets the boy touch him now, he'll be so far gone it'll probably be pathetic.

"Take me to dance with you," he counteroffers, standing up for the first time in a few hours. It feels nice to get moving again, feels even better when Calum stands up and presses himself close.

"Follow me, then," Calum says, his voice sinfully low. It sounds like purring, the way he's speaking, and Ashton's mouth goes dry when he attempts to swallow.

"I have to warn you," Ashton starts, reaching up to brush some curls behind Calum's ear, "I'm not much of a dancer."

That seems to amuse Calum, because he simply tilts his head to rest against Ashton's hand, smiling. "I'll lead, don't worry. It'll be great." Then, right on cue, Calum separates himself from Ashton's body, holding out his hand for Ashton to grab onto. He does, and once their fingers are interlocked, he tugs Ashton in the direction of the dance floor.

He's content to stick to the outskirts of the massive crowd that's currently occupying the floor, but Calum seems to prefer being in the middle of things, since he rather politely coaxes people out of his way until they're surrounded by bodies and covered in the club lights. The music seems especially loud on the floor, and Ashton can't hear what Calum's just said to him, but he would've immediately forgotten what it was anyway, since Calum is pressing himself all up against him again, a hand settling at the back of Ashton's neck.

It feels like the music is literally vibrating through him, coming up through his toes from where his feet are planted on the ground and taking over every inch of his body. That could also just be side effects of having such a gorgeous human so close, but.

Calum was right about being able to lead—it's seemingly effortless to get into the swing of things with Calum as his guide. At some point, Ashton gets a little braver, letting his hand settle on Calum's shoulder, fingers digging into the skin just a little so that he knows he isn't dreaming.

He can't hear much of anything, can hardly hear his own thoughts as it is, so when Calum leans in close so that they're cheek to cheek and murmurs something to him, it flies completely over his head. Instead of asking Calum to repeat himself, Ashton just nods, and it must be a good enough answer since Calum just smiles and slides the hand that was on Ashton's neck up into his hair, holding Ash's head still as he tilts his own up to rest their foreheads together. This close, he can feel the humid breath panning out against his cheek, and Ashton finds himself staring desperately at Calum's parted mouth.

Distantly, he wonders what it'd be like to kiss that mouth—to suck that bottom lip in between his own—or if he'd even be allowed to do something like that. He doesn't have the guts to attempt it right now, though he suspects that right now is probably the best environment to do so. The mood is set, they're touching almost everywhere, and Calum's looking at him with eyes so dark they almost scare him.

"You're good at this." Ashton says instead, making sure his voice is loud enough.

Calum nods, doing something of a body roll up against the entirety of Ashton's torso, and Ashton feels his heart skip a few beats. "I used to be a stripper."

His jaw drops in disbelief, hand dropping from Calum's shoulder to grip hard on the boy's waist. He keeps watching Calum's hips, how he's so close to fucking grinding against him, and he presses down the punch of arousal the sight sends to his gut. "Shit, were you really?"

The boy giggles, shaking his head. "Nah, m'just fucking with you."

Ashton laughs, shaking his head, giving Calum a little bump to the cheek with his nose to reprimand him. It just makes Calum nuzzle in closer, his breath fanning out against his neck. It causes him to shiver, and he can feel the obvious twist of Calum's lips into a smile against the corner of his jaw.

And then it's not so good, because Ashton's totally getting hard in his jeans, Calum rolling his hips against his crotch like he either doesn't feel it or he's just too nice of a guy to point it out.

It's obvious and abrupt, the way Ashton pulls back, and he feels a little lightheaded going from the warmth and solidity of Calum's body to nothing touching him at all. Calum looks a bit wounded, eyes sobering quickly as he stares at Ashton like he's wondering what he could've possibly done wrong. Like a _kicked_ puppy, this time. It breaks Ashton's heart.

So he holds his hand out, admiring the way that Calum reaches for it like its habit even though his brows are still furrowed in confusion. Calum's so _good_ , is the thing, and Ashton can't believe just _how_ good he is.

"It's getting a little hot, is all." Ashton reassures him, and Calum's worry lines smooth out easily. "C'mon, let's get some more drinks.” Calum nods, practically skipping closer until they're side by side, Ashton leading them back out of the crowd.

"I'll snag us a booth, yeah? Just get me one of whatever you're having," Calum suggests excitedly, shooting up on his toes to press a soft kiss to Ashton's cheek. "Don't be too long."

Ashton's heart is slamming in his ribcage, and his head is spinning, dizzy from Calum's mouth against his skin, but he finds it in himself to nod. Calum just beams, disappearing as he goes on the hunt for an unoccupied booth. He takes the few moments of alone time to regroup, breathing deep as he finishes approaching the bar and leans against the counter.

The bartenders are busy, flitting around to fill as many orders as they can, but Ashton doesn't mind that he isn't tended to right away. He doesn't think he'd be able to speak yet as it is.

Of course, it only takes a matter of minutes before Ashley inevitably finds him. She bounds into his personal space like she has no concept of it, leaning over the countertop so they can hear each other better.

"You were gone for awhile." She notes, quirking an eyebrow and smirking in that knowing way of hers that makes Ashton want to scream. She's like an irritating little sister, most of the time, if little sisters actively cared about their brothers' sex lives as much as Ashley seems to care about his. "Where is he?"

"Getting a booth. I'm supposed to be getting us drinks."

Ashley just keeps on with her smirking, grabbing two glasses from underneath the countertop. "You're totally gonna score with him, dude. I'm officially calling it. It's been called."

Ashton rolls his eyes, but he doesn't bother correcting her. He thinks his chances are looking pretty good, and he definitely isn't against taking Calum home tonight. "He's just nice."

"Well," Ashley starts, grabbing a couple bottles of liquor from the shelf behind her. "All I'm saying is there has to be a catch. _Nobody_ is that gorgeous without there being a catch."

Ashton can't help the laugh that bursts out of his chest at that, shaking his head as Ashley pours the alcohol into the glasses. He does have to agree, though. Calum _is_ gorgeous. Ashton can't help but feel like maybe it _is_ a little too good to be true.

He doesn't think too hard about it for long, though, grabbing the drinks from Ashley after he slides some cash over to her. She winks at him, says something about using protection, and he sighs exasperatedly in her direction before he turns to start towards the section of booths Calum had disappeared to.

He realizes about halfway there that maybe he should've given Calum his number, so he could call him to tell Ashton exactly which booth he'd found. Because there's dozens in the club, and Ashton's starting to feel a bit awkward standing here with two drinks and looking like he got stood up.

It's when he's craning his neck to peer over a crowd of people that it happens. He isn't paying attention to where he's walking, at least not as much as he should be, so when he collides with somebody, drinks dangerously close to spilling over the brim of their glasses at the impact, he isn't even really surprised at himself.

The boy he collided with braces him, catches him by the hips and rights him so that neither of them goes crashing to the floor. It's a firm grip, one that feels heavy and sure and like it belongs, and when Ashton brings his gaze up to apologize, he's momentarily stunned into silence.

When Ashton's eyes lock onto blond fringe, pale skin, and green eyes, he wonders why the hell he has to keep meeting gorgeous people after he embarrasses himself royally.

"My bad." Ashton squeaks, and the boy just pats his hip reassuringly before he lets go and continues on his way. Not even so much as a word, just a lingering touch on Ashton's waist as he slinks past and continues on towards the bar.

Ashton's left a little short of breath.

*******

He finds Calum eventually. It takes a bit longer than it should, probably, since Calum is the master of finding obscure places to sit in already really dark clubs. The only reason Ashton even spots him is because of the neon green paint on his chest.

He slides Calum's glass over to him, clinking it with his own when Calum insists on cheers. At first, he decides he'll give a few feet of space between them in the booth, but apparently that's not what Calum's interested in, since he immediately fills the gap and curls his body into the entirety of Ashton's side.

"Missed you," Calum coos, and Ashton fights the 'aww' that's threatening to spill out of his mouth.

"I was only gone a few minutes." Ashton reminds him, settling his arm around Calum's shoulders and loving the way they seem to fit together so effortlessly.

"A few _long_ minutes," Calum grumbles, bringing his glass to his lips as he pouts adorably. He brings his free hand up, though, locking his fingers around Ashton's forearm so he can't pull away. Not that Ashton was even intending on doing so.

"Only took so long 'cause you're so good at _hiding_ from me." Ashton teases, burying his nose in the curls of Calum's hair and loving the way he giggles and squirms. "Wouldn't have been able to find you if it wasn't for the paint."

Suddenly, like he's only just remembered it was on him, Calum looks down at the designs swirling across his chest once more. Smiling, he says, "I know I told you already, but it really is beautiful. I meant to ask you earlier, if painting was something you did for a living."

Ashton shakes his head. "Nah. I'm still in school, so that's pretty much what I do for a living. I am an art major, though, so I've got that going for me."

Calum tilts his head against Ashton's shoulder, looking up at him with genuine, solemn eyes. "You've got a lot more than that going for you, Ash. You're gonna do big things, I just know it."

"Oh, is that so? You just know?" Ashton teases, and Calum rolls his eyes before bumping Ashton with his shoulder. When Calum goes quiet, seemingly done adding to that conversation, Ashton asks, "So, what do you do?"

"It's pretty boring stuff, I'm not sure you'll wanna stick around after I tell you." Calum says, smiling wide halfway through his sentence like he can't even be bothered to try and stay serious. Ashton chuckles, giving Calum an encouraging nod. "Alright, alright. I work for a radio station. Started as an intern, doing the coffee thing, etcetera. Eventually they started letting me help run the show, behind the scenes stuff. Which was what I was interning for in the first place, only now I get paid to do it."

Ashton feels his jaw drop, impressed. "Are you kidding? That's fuckin' awesome! You're the one that's going places, shit." With wide eyes, Ashton takes a sip of his drink, suddenly feeling a bit out of his element.

Calum just attempts to cuddle in closer, even though Ashton's pretty sure that's not possible. "Oh, chill out. It's honestly not that impressive, it just pays the bills. I would kill to be half as good at art as you are."

The thing is, Calum's so _genuine_ in everything he says, it's hard for Ashton _not_ to feel an immense amount of flattery at those words.

"Well, thank you," Ashton blushes.

Calum smiles again, softer this time, his eyes flickering down over Ashton's lips once. It's so quick Ashton almost swears he didn't see it, but then Calum's chewing on his own lip as he looks up into Ashton's eyes.

Ashton wants to kiss him.

And he's about to, he's gearing up to just lean in and slot their lips together like he's been dying to do since the second they met, but then Calum's scooting out of the booth, and Ashton's left hovering awkwardly and trying to play it off.

"I'm gonna run to the bathroom really quick, yeah? Don't get too lonely." Calum offers him a wink, holding Ashton's eyes as he finishes the rest of his drink before scampering away.

As soon as he's gone, Ashton collapses back against the booth, running a hand down his face, and he can't help but wonder if the spontaneous bathroom break was an excuse to get out of this whole thing. If Calum running off just as they were so obviously about to kiss means he doesn't want Ashton as much as Ashton had been hoping.

But there's also all the blatant flirting they've been throwing at each other. All the prolonged eye contact and staring at each other's mouths. The fucking _grinding_ on each other. Ashton's obviously not one to assume Calum's flirting means he doesn't have the right to back out anymore, but he can't help wondering if he's been out of the game so long he's unable to recognize a potential hookup isn't actually going anywhere at all.

Calum does come back eventually, though. It feels like half an hour, despite that a quick glance at his phone tells Ashton it hasn't even been five minutes since Calum ran off.

And when Calum returns, he doesn't slide back into the booth beside Ashton. Instead, he reaches out, grabbing onto Ashton's hands and tugging him out of the booth, enthusing about how the DJ was going to play his favorite song next.

Because Ashton's too weak to say no to Calum's big brown puppy eyes, he goes easily, without a fight. He allows Calum to weave them through the crowd like he'd done before, lets Calum drape an arm around Ashton's neck and pull him so close there's not an inch of them that isn't touching.

He feels Calum's fingers playing in the soft curls at the nape of his neck, twisting like he wants to grab a little harder. Ashton's not sure how to tell him he'd be into that, that he'd love Calum pulling on the locks, so instead he just opts for sliding his hands along Calum's torso. Focuses on the way his hands—so large in comparison to the slimness of Calum's waist—easily cover every inch of the bare skin there.

He doesn't notice right away when somebody else joins them. He's too busy trying to keep his heart beating in a reasonable rhythm in spite of Calum pulling out all his best moves to see it.

But after a new set of hands wraps around Calum's waist from behind, grazing past Ashton's, it becomes impossible to miss.

Sure enough, another boy is pressing behind Calum, touching him in all the ways Ashton's just been doing. Only, it's not just any boy, because that would be too easy, and Ashton's life has never been anything near _easy_.

Instead, the boy is the one Ashton had run into on his way back from the bar less than an hour ago, the one with blond hair and green eyes and a pierced eyebrow. The one that had caught him round the hips and given him gentle reassurance even though Ashton had nearly spilled two whole drinks on him.

Only now, the boy has his lips pressed to Calum's shoulder, inching agonizingly slowly towards Calum's neck, and Calum is just tilting his head up for it.

Ashton's about to open his mouth to complain, to ask who the fuck this gorgeous stranger thinks he is, but then said gorgeous stranger is murmuring, "Hey, baby," into Calum's skin.

And, well.

Ashton drops Calum's waist instantly, backing up an inch or so until Calum suddenly realizes Ashton's not against him anymore. It makes him frown, reach out for Ashton's forearm.

" _Baby_?" Ashton asks, looking at Calum with what he can only imagine is something between hurt and betrayal in his eyes, judging by the kicked expression Calum gives him in return.

"This is my boyfriend." Calum explains, as if that's the best possible answer for this situation. And yeah, maybe Ashton appreciates the honesty, but he definitely can't help but feel a little led on right now.

The stranger releases his hold on Calum's hips with one hand, extending it towards Ashton in what must be the start of a handshake. He keeps his chin hooked over Calum's shoulder as he says, "I'm Michael."

Awkwardly, Ashton returns the shake, dropping Michael's hand as soon as he's able. "Um. Ashton." He suddenly feels acutely aware of the fact that Michael's seen him in such an intimate position with his own boyfriend, feels a pang of guilt hit him. "I'm, uh. I'm sorry for touching him. I didn't realize—"

"Don't apologize," Michael interrupts. "It's okay. We're okay with it."

He looks at Ashton then, with something darker than even Calum's eyes in his emerald ones. A quick glance between their faces shows Ashton that Całum's looking at him that way, too, a soft and encouraging smile on his lips as he waits for Ashton to speak again.

But what he says must not be what Calum was hoping to hear, because as soon as Ashton speaks, Calum's frowning and fidgeting slightly in Michael's light hold.

"I can't, um. I think I should go." Ashton stutters, pulling his arm out of the gentle grip Calum has on it. Calum attempts to reach back out, pawing at him weakly, but Ashton's already backed far enough away that it's no use.

He thinks he hears Calum asking him to stay, but he doesn't look back to find out for sure. Instead, he focuses on escaping the crowd, on getting to the bar. On leaving behind the boy he really liked and the attractive boyfriend he'd failed to mention having.

He must look something of a mess when he sits down, because instantly, Ashley's darting over to him from across the bar. Whoever she'd been about to help protests, but she either pretends she doesn't hear or genuinely didn’t.

"What happened?" She asks him, soft but with an underlying tone that tells him she'll beat up a million people twice her size if that's what put Ashton this way. He loves her to pieces.

Ashton shakes his head, and she frowns before she reaches for three shot glasses. He laughs, liking where her head is at, before he nods his approval and motions for her to start filling up the shots.

When she's done, she puts the bottle away, leaning on her forearms across from him. She watches him while he watches the shot glasses, only lifting his gaze when she brings his chin up with one finger.

"I'm sorry." She tells him solemnly. "For whatever happened, whatever he did. I'm sorry for it."

He smiles, and she beams like that was her only goal in life and she just accomplished it. Ashley reaches over to where Ashton had left his cups of paint, dipping her finger in before bringing it to Ashton's wrist. She paints a smiley face there, lopsided and uneven, but he loves it all the same.

"Don't let one lousy experience bring your night down, okay?" She prompts, and Ashton nods, leaning over the counter to give her a soft kiss on the cheek. It makes her blush, even though there's nothing behind it, ruffling his hair with her clean hand before she wanders off again.

*******

He's only made it through two shots before Calum finds him. And Ashton shouldn't really be surprised, considering the club isn't actually _that_ huge. Calum would've found him eventually if Ashton didn't just straight up leave the premises altogether.

The first thing Calum says when he sits down is, "I messed up, and I'm sorry."

Ashton's a little caught off guard by the directness, but he appreciates that they're no longer dancing around elephants in the room. Even if only one person knows about said elephant.

"You should've told me you had a boyfriend." Ashton says. "I wouldn't have lingered by you all night if you had. It's not fair to Michael."

Calum frowns, his eyes holding so many apologies Ashton thinks he might burst with how sorry he is. "I know. But you have to understand, I didn't want to scare you off. And jumping right in with talk about my boyfriend would've done exactly that!"

Ashton stares blankly back at Calum. He sort of can't believe he's having this conversation right now, can't believe Calum _actually_ thinks that hiding something like this would've been the best idea.

"I don't—of course it would have. I'm not a home wrecker, Calum." He chuckles weakly, humorlessly, because the sentence sounds a bit ridiculous coming from his mouth.

"You don't understand." Calum whines, sounding frustrated. Ashton only feels his eyebrows furrow further, increasingly confused. "We came here together to look for someone to have some fun with. _Together_."

The gears start whirring to life in Ashton's head, and he can see the exact moment it must all come together on his face, because Calum smiles reassuringly at him. They're looking for a threesome.

When he doesn't say anything, Calum continues. "He's been scoping you out while we've been hanging out all night, and he really likes you. Just as much as I do. And obviously, you don't have to say yes, because I know you probably don't really like me that much anymore. But I'm really hoping you might give us a chance?"

It's all a bit much for Ashton. He's never been anything but monogamous, never really branched out into anything but two-ways. Sadly enough, it's been more like one-ways for the past several months. So diving into something made for _three_ is a bit like jumping into the deep end after a drought.

But he adores Calum, and just the brief moments he's had in Michael's presence have made his heart stutter out of time, and he thinks he'd probably adore Michael, too. The fact that they clearly want him back just makes it all the more encouraging.

"I'm not—I don't do well with being viewed as an object. So if this is just something to spice up your sex life, an _experiment_ , or something, then please, leave me out of it."

Calum's eyes go wide, and he shakes his head rapidly. "Ash, I swear to you, it's not like that. It was never about that." He reaches out, cupping Ashton's cheek with his warm hand, and Ashton can't help but lean into it.

Ashton takes a deep breath, taking his last shot before he nods. "Okay."

Calum beams, young and hopeful. "Okay?"

"Yeah." Ashton confirms, a bit more confident this time. "Okay."

Calum makes a noise that sounds like he's squealing, before he darts to his feet. He takes Ashton's hands and pulls him up, planting a kiss to his cheek as soon as he's on his feet. Calum wraps him up in a tight hug, whispering his thanks over and over again, and Ashton can't help the joyful sound that bubbles out of him in response. Calum's just too cute.

He allows Calum to lead him back to the crowd for what feels like the millionth time, clearly heading back to Michael. They don't go quite as far in this time, probably because it'd be impossible to find Michael again in the center of the dance floor, but it's still just as cramped and hot as before.

Michael smiles when he sees Calum, but he smiles even harder when he sees that Calum's got Ashton in tow. It seems like instinct when Calum walks a little faster, eager to get to Michael, and Ashton has to admit he finds even that adorable.

"Glad you decided to join us." Michael says as soon as he's within earshot. He gives Calum a kiss to the temple when the boy curls into him, waving Ashton closer when he hangs back a bit.

"I'm sorry for freaking out," is the first thing Ashton opts for.

Michael just shakes his head, giving Ashton a gentle half smile. "Stop worrying about it, babe. I admire you for backing off, but you didn't have to." He reaches out, tugs Ashton closer, so he's pressed up snug against Calum's back, Calum sandwiched between them facing Michael. "Didn't want you to."

The drop in Michael's voice makes Ashton's stomach flip, a wave of lust punching him right in the gut. It probably shows on his face, since Michael just smirks at him from the little window of a view he has over the top of Calum's shoulder.

Calum must sense the change in atmosphere, because he wiggles a bit, desperate to be included. All it really succeeds in doing is pressing his ass up against Ashton's crotch, and it's on instinct that Ashton reaches down to grip Calum's hips roughly. It's probably a bit much, hard enough to leave bruises, but Calum only moans softly.

The noise is a wakeup call, and Ashton immediately lets go, looking back up at Michael like he's scared he's misstepped.

"Don't you dare say sorry again." Michael says, laughing a bit. "Go ahead and touch him. It's hot, watching you with him."

Calum makes another needy sound, leaning forward so that he can press his forehead to Michael's shoulder. Tentatively, Ashton brings his hands back down, gripping at the skin just above the waistband on Calum's jeans.

It's Michael's turn to moan, though it sounds more like a growl, but not a possessive one. His eyes are watching Ashton's hands, flicking between them and Ashton's face, while Calum is obviously doing something to his neck. Kissing it, probably, with the way Michael's eyes look all blissed out and he's arching his throat up for it.

They're stunning together, Ashton can't deny that. If he's being honest, he could probably just watch them all day—the way they touch each other, kiss each other. It's intriguing.

Calum's anything but innocent, Ashton also realizes. Now that Michael's around, that he has Michael's approval, he's not scared to be more of a minx than Ashton was already expecting he might be. The whole time he's got his face buried in Michael's neck, he's rolling his body back against Ashton, perfectly in time with the heavy bass line thrumming through the club.

Ashton gets a little braver as the songs progress, roaming his hands up a little higher to graze over Calum's chest and stomach. He can feel the hitches in Calum's breath every time he does it, and whatever he does to Michael's neck during those hitches must feel spectacular, judging by the way Michael shudders underneath his mouth.

Michael maneuvers himself out from under Calum's lips eventually, one hand in the curly brown hair as he holds Calum's head still. He leans in close to his ear, whispers something that Ashton can't hear, before he winks at Ashton like he's in for a treat.

He supposes he is, since Calum spins in between them so that he's now facing Ashton instead of Michael. Calum's fingers are dancing around the hem of his shirt, just barely grazing over the skin of his tummy.

"Tease." Ashton jokes, bumping his nose against Calum's gently.

He means it lightheartedly, only intends to leave it at the giggle Calum gives him in return. But then Michael pipes up and adds, "He _is_ a tease. You wouldn't know it, looking at him, but he is."

Calum shivers, and Ashton watches him do so with a raised eyebrow. Michael's not doing anything spectacular with his hands, just leaving them on Calum's hips as he speaks, and that's when Ashton realizes it must be the _words_ that do it for him. Calum fucking gets off on Michael _talking_ to him. _About_ him.

"Fuck." Ashton whispers, looking from Calum's face to Michael's. Michael is staring back at him, his tongue poking out to lick at his lower lip quickly. It leaves a shiny wet residue, makes Michael's lips look almost glossy, and Ashton's hit with the overwhelming urge to lean forward and get a taste of those lips for himself.

Maybe _he’s_ the tease, wanting to kiss so many boys in one night.

The mark Calum must've sucked onto Michael's neck is already blooming, dark and prominent like Calum's an expert at it. Probably he is, having unlimited access to Michael's body like that. Ashton knows he wouldn't be able to keep _his_ mouth off of it if he had forever to mark it up.

"You're allowed to kiss him, you know." Calum murmurs into the small amount of space between them. He's breathing hot against Ashton's cheek, and Ashton can feel every word against him, hitting him in waves. Calum leans impossibly closer, making sure his lips rub against Ashton's jaw when he whispers, "You're allowed to want him."

And just like that, Ashton decides that's all the permission he needs. He surges his hand forward, cupping around Michael's jaw roughly, and Michael makes a pleased noise at the way his head get jostled slightly under the force of it. Calum whimpers some kind of encouragement, turning his neck as best he can so he doesn't miss anything, and then Michael slams their lips together.

It's the first time Ashton's been kissed properly all night, and it instantly makes him feel short of breath. His fingers are biting into Michael's cheek, clawing at him like he can't get close enough, and Michael's kissing him with just as much ferocity behind it. Michael's got some scruff to him, and it feels rough under Ashton's hand, but he loves it.

Michael's lips feel sinful against his, full and yet thinner than Calum's, making them easy to nip and lick at. When Ashton sucks Michael's bottom lip between his own, Michael shudders, letting go of Calum with one hand in favor of tangling his fingers in Ashton's hair.

"You guys look so good," Calum says weakly, voice cracking slightly.

It's not Ashton's choice to pull away from the kiss, but when Michael starts turning his face away, Ashton lets him go without a fight.

Michael doesn't move far, though, just turns enough that he can speak without Ashton's lips getting in the way. His jaw is still in perfect range, so Ashton takes to leaving closed mouth kisses along the entirety of it.

"God," Michael says, his voice sounding scratchy already. "You've got good taste, Cal. I like him."

Ashton makes an embarrassing sound, something caught between a whimper and a moan, but he can't help it.

"Share with me." Calum says, and without even looking Ashton knows he's pouting. He rolls his eyes fondly, taking Michael's face in his hands and giving him one more sweet peck before he turns his attention over to Calum.

"C'mere, then." Ashton murmurs, and Calum eagerly pounces. His kisses are softer, less controlling, and Ashton thinks it's amazing that he can tell just from their kissing styles who's clearly in charge. Calum kisses like he needs to be coached. Michael kisses like he's leading. It makes Ashton wonder where he falls in all this.

Calum lets him guide the kiss effortlessly, complementing each of Ashton's moves with a trick of his own. Faintly, Ashton's aware of Michael's hand falling out of his hair, instead traveling down to squeeze at his ass.

Ashton gasps, jolting forward in shock, incidentally knocking his hips into Calum's. He hears Michael chuckle, squeeze him again.

"You an ass man, then?" Michael teases, but Ashton doesn't fire anything back. He just pushes back into Michael's hand, lets Michael do with that information what he will. "Calum, give him a break, I want another go."

Ashton's expecting Calum to argue, to protest a bit, but that's not at all what he does. Calum just pulls away obediently, making room for Michael and licking at his lips like he can still taste Ashton there.

"Good boy." Michael praises, like it's second nature, before he leans in and fills the space Calum left for him. Ashton's mouth is starting to go numb, but he couldn't possibly care any less about that right now.

This time, while Ashton and Michael are occupied, Calum takes to bowing his head and kissing along the expanse of Ashton's neck. It feels heavenly, and Ashton sighs into Michael's mouth, Michael rubbing gently on Ashton's bicep like he knows how distracting it can be. How good Calum's mouth on your skin can feel.

Ashton gets an idea then, pushing gently at Michael's shoulder until he separates their lips. He does the same thing to Calum, ignoring the twinge of disappointment he feels at knowing Calum wasn't there long enough to have made a mark.

"Your turn." Ashton says, keeping a hand on each of the boys in front of him.

Calum makes a high noise, turning his face towards Michael's instantly. Michael smiles at Ashton with a look that all too clearly says he likes where Ashton's head is at before he, too, turns his head and catches Calum's lips in a searing kiss.

Ashton feels his pulse quicken watching them, at seeing the way Calum just gives under Michael, like he's under a spell. It's the kind of dynamic they have to have had going for _years_ to be so flawless, so beautiful, and Ashton wonders exactly how long they've been together.

It's like Michael can control Calum's actions with just the right touch, or the right pressure of his mouth. But it's not one-sided by any means—Ashton can see how Calum's willingness and eagerness turns Michael into mush just as much as Michael does Calum. Michael obviously lives and breathes to give everything he can to Calum, and that's the most beautiful thing about watching them kiss.

Well. That, and the hand that Michael's just snuck down between them.

The obvious tell is the way that Michael's moving his arm—slow and pointed, like he's rubbing over something. Namely, Calum's crotch.

Calum gasps beautifully at the contact, pulling away from Michael's mouth and panting hard. Ashton can see how Calum's humping into it, eager to make the touch harder, probably. Can see how Michael just smirks and keeps the same pace he started with.

"Guys," Ashton says weakly, looking around at the hundreds of people surrounding them. "Not right here."

Calum nods, but it's obvious he's not listening, because he just continues to swallow back moans as he grinds his hips towards Michael's hand. It's only once Michael completely removes his touch that Calum comes out of his trance, pouting.

"Ashton's right. Can't do it right here, people will see." Michael tells him, a cruel tease to his voice that almost makes Ashton sympathize with Calum, who looks like that's the worst news he's heard all week.

Calum keeps on frowning, but he nods in acceptance. Not so discreetly, Calum adjusts himself, obviously hard in his jeans. Which. Ashton's not sure he's equipped to handle that right now, so he purposely ignores it.

"I wanna do body shots." Calum declares, looking between Michael and Ashton. "I saw some people doing it earlier, I wanna try."

Michael chuckles, shaking his head. "You're covered in paint. There's no way I'm doing shots off of you." He traces his fingers along the designs, giving Ashton a quick wink that tells him Michael knows he painted them.

Calum pouts again, and Ashton wonders if this is how he usually attempts to get his way—continuous pouting. Before Calum can pipe up with some childish rebuttal, Ashton offers, "You could do them off of _me_ , if you want."

The slight sting of embarrassment rushing through him after asking is immediately soothed when he sees Calum's face, all lit up and excited by that idea. He nods instantly, and Michael smirks, eyes trailing over Ashton's clothed torso.

"Yeah." Michael says distantly, lifting a hand to pick at the top button on Ashton's shirt. "I want."

Ashton swallows hard, looking away before he does something humiliating like beg Michael to take his clothes off of him. It appears to be heading that way, anyway, but hell will freeze over before Ashton _begs_ for something like that.

Calum's the eager one, as always, grasping Ashton's hand in his as he pulls them close together. "To the bar!" He exclaims, and Ashton chuckles before giving him a kiss to quiet him down, just because he's allowed to do that now.

Calum hums against him, happy, sagging against Ashton until Ashton decides the kiss is over. That's another thing Ashton's having a wild time wrapping his head around—Calum keeps letting them make the decisions. And he just goes along, unquestioning, like they know what's best for him and his best option is to just _obey_.

Ashton loves it.

The bar is relatively crowded when they get there, but there's a clear spot designated for people that are doing shots. It's not official, or anything, but Ashton's noticed in the past that the people who party a bit harder than everybody else tend to drift to their own corner.

He tries to ignore the wiggly eyebrows Ashley gives him as he passes her, but he ends up making a stupid face at her out of pure habit. She only laughs, making an obscene gesture with her hands that Ashton absolutely pretends he didn't see.

"Get us some tequila," he calls to her instead, and she salutes him before scurrying off to hook him up. He feels a little bit like a Total Guy right now, with one arm around each of these boys, and the couple envious looks he gets tells him he's not the only one that thinks he’s pretty damn lucky. It's nice, having people be jealous of something that's his. Because for the time being, Calum and Michael are exactly that. They're his, for however long they'll allow themselves to be. They're all each others'.

It's Calum that sets to taking Ashton’s shirt off, his fingers fumbling at the buttons as he excitably tries to get them undone. He nearly breaks one of the buttons in his rush, and Michael has to pet his hair to get him to slow down a bit.

Calum's jaw literally drops once Ashton's mostly shirtless, his eyes ravaging over all the newly exposed skin. He's chewing on his lip as he looks back up at Ashton, breathing heavy like he's too excited to contain it. When Calum kisses him hard, Ashton allows it, flattered. He knows he's not a bad looking guy, but it's always nice to be reminded by someone whose opinion is starting to matter.

It's Michael that presses on his hips, prompts him into lying back against the table. His shirt's still on, just splayed open down the front, so the chill that overtakes him at being stared down at by the two of them like he's their next meal is slightly muted. Only slightly, because Michael quirks his pierced brow as he eyes the goosebumps that have spread all over Ashton's chest.

When Ashley drops off a line of shots, she flicks him on the nose, drawing him back to his senses. He'll have to thank her one day, for unknowingly saving him from falling apart under eye contact with Michael _alone_.

"You guys friends?" Calum asks, combing his fingers through Ashton's hair as Michael sprinkles a line of salt between his belly button and chest. He stops breathing momentarily, determined to hold the grains in place.

"The best. She's like my sister." Ashton explains, dropping his mouth open when Michael tugs at his bottom lip with his thumb, coaxing him to do so. Michael smiles appreciatively, placing a lime wedge between Ashton's teeth.

"Can I go first?" Calum asks, but not Ashton. His question is instead directed at Michael, and Ashton feels his dick twitch at being fawned over, at being something they both desire.

At Calum asking somebody else for permission to touch him.

Michael gives Calum a soft kiss, ruffling Calum's hair with his fingers. It's adorable, the way Calum's eyes get all squinty with his huge grin the moment Michael pets him like that. It must be a thing of theirs.

"Sure, yeah." Michael nods, backing away to give Calum some room.

Calum smiles down at him, giving Ashton a quick wink before he tosses back the shot that Michael hands him. He winces when it goes down, clearly burning his throat the whole way.

Ashton should be ready for it, since Calum bows his back beautifully to bend over Ashton's tummy. But he still jerks in shock when Calum's tongue flicks out over his navel, licking up the line of salt. Calum pins his hips down, presses harder on them when Ashton rocks up again.

Calum pauses when he gets to Ashton's mouth, licking his own lip tentatively before he leans in slowly, coaxing the lime wedge from Ashton's mouth to his own. Ashton will forever deny the weak noise he makes, but he totally makes it, one hand desperately holding onto Calum's shoulder.

The boy above him smirks around the lime, something that should look ridiculous, but it only succeeds in making Ashton needier for it. He wants to kiss Calum so bad it makes him ache, but he's trying his best to refrain.

"Scoot over." Michael insists, and Calum eagerly clambers away from Ashton's body to appease him. He watches as Michael replaces the line of salt, and then snatches the lime from Calum's mouth to place it back in Ashton's. "Hold still for me, okay?"

Ashton nods immediately on the basis of 'for me', for Michael. He focuses harder on keeping his hips still this time around, simply gasping softly when Michael takes the shot and roughly licks up the salt. When he goes for the lime, Ashton spits it out, chuckling as it rolls to the floor in the split second of time before Michael's mouth connects with his own.

Michael's mouth tastes like tequila and salt, unsurprisingly, and he feels a little bad since Michael could probably really go for the flavor of that lime right about now. Michael doesn't seem too heartbroken about it, though, as he caresses Ashton's face and kisses him as deep as he can.

"Oh, come on, you cheated!" Calum whines, shoving weakly at both their shoulders. "I wanna kiss him, too."

Michael just shrugs Calum off, nipping at Ashton's lip and smirking when it makes him sigh blissfully. "Too bad. We're busy."

It’s then that Ashton realizes the discomfort in his jeans is definitely the result of a boner, and while an expected side effect of all the kissing and sensual touching, it's still a bit inconvenient. Ashton's not trying to make it _weird_.

So he moves into a sitting position, pushing gently at Michael's chest to get him to back off and let him up. Michael goes, looking disappointed to no longer be kissing him, but the expression dissolves when Calum quickly acts on the available mouth and kisses Michael sweetly.

"I'm gonna take a piss," Ashton says blankly, standing up and hoping they don't stare at his groin. From what he can tell, they haven't noticed, so he'll take what he can get. "I'll be back."

He doesn't give either of them a chance to answer before he's scurrying away towards the restrooms. Despite all the alcohol he's consumed tonight, he doesn't _actually_ have to piss, but he could definitely use the alone time to calm himself the fuck down.

The bathroom is empty when Ashton walks in, and he breathes out a heavy sigh as he makes his way to one of the sinks. He catches sight of himself in the mirror, all flushed skin and tousled hair. The heart Calum drew on his cheek earlier is still there, only slightly smeared.

At the thought of Calum, at the thought of him kissing Michael just outside, Ashton has to squeeze his eyes shut, beg his dick to go down by sheer willpower alone. He tries to think about unhappy things, anything that'll make him go soft in his jeans so he doesn't look as easy for some simple making out as he does right now.

He leans down, turning on the sink and splashing his face with cold water. The temperature almost makes him curse out loud, but it has the desired effect, shocking him back into mostly-flaccid. He's gearing up to do it again when the door to the bathroom flies open, filling the room with the loud music from the dance floor momentarily before it shuts again.

"You okay?" comes Michael's voice, tentative and unsure for probably the first time all night.

Ashton nods, reaching for a couple of paper towels from the dispenser and wiping the cold water off of his face. "Yeah, I'm okay."

Michael doesn't move any closer, just leans against the opposite end of the bathroom counter and watches Ashton carefully. "If you want an out, you can just ask for one. I promise you we won't be offended. We'll understand if you changed your mind about, you know. This whole thing."

Ashton sighs, running his fingers through his hair and trying not to feel too dramatic about the whole thing.

He thinks about it, and he's pretty sure the out Michael's giving him isn't something he actually wants to take. It's nerve wracking, being involved with them like this, but he doesn't think he wants to walk away from it. Not when it obviously feels so good, so _right_. Like Ashton _belongs_ with them, somehow, part of their team.

"I, um. I really like you guys. And that's the scary part, because you and Cal—you already have each _other_ , you know? I don't want to impose on that."

Michael shakes his head, coming closer now. "It's not imposing, Ash, we _want_ you. We really like you, too. Don't you get that?" Once he's near enough, he presses Ashton back against the counter, rubbing a hand along his forearm comfortingly. "It's the whole reason we've hung out with you all night."

Ashton feels his heartbeat picking up again, crashing in his chest as Michael continues to touch him. "Why me, though?"

"His jaw dropped the very second he saw you. And hell, I'd be lying if I said mine didn't, too. Told him to go chat you up, see if he could get you to go for it." Michael laughs softly, bringing his hand up to run his fingers along Ashton's cheek. "We want you to have fun with us tonight, Ashton, but we won't force you into saying yes."

He's stunned into silence then, caught off guard by the sincerity in Michael's words. He hadn't known they’d had him picked out right from the beginning, that they'd literally been attracted to him since the word go.

"We have an apartment not too far from here," Michael explains, once it becomes obvious Ashton's not going to say anything. "If you want us, too, that is. Which I'm pretty sure you do."

Ashton feels himself nodding, suddenly aware of the fact he's making the motion even though he hadn't been a few moments ago. He's saying yes, wrapping his arms around Michael's waist as the blond keeps on closing the distance between them.

"Need to hear you say it." Michael says firmly, though his touch remains light. "Gotta hear you say it out loud."

"Yeah," Ashton breathes. He feels the weight of what seems like the world fall off his shoulders as soon as he says it, feels better now that he's bared his heart out there for Michael to see. "I want you, too."

Michael beams, happy, before he leans in and presses his lips to Ashton's like an experiment. Like he's testing the waters, trying to see if they still get to pick up where they left off a few minutes ago.

Ashton returns it, tilting his head to deepen the kiss and letting Michael's tongue slide in to explore his mouth. It makes him weak in the knees, and he's thankful Michael has him pressed so tightly to the counter. He couldn't fall over now even if he'd wanted to.

"What the hell?" A familiar voice asks, sounding offended. Ashton just smirks when he pulls away from Michael, turning towards the door where Calum's clearly just walked in. "You're making out without me, now?"

Ashton's about to make some sarcastic remark about how Calum literally kept Michael from him for the first few hours of the evening, but before he can, Michael says, "Don't be a brat. Make yourself useful and call a cab instead."

His voice is teasing, despite how direct his words sound. But Calum bypasses the instructions altogether, his eyes going all wide and puppy-like as he clutches his hands to his chest.

" _Really_?" Calum asks, looking at Ashton like he's the sun, the stars. "You're gonna come with us?"

Ashton chuckles, but nods, unable to fight the smile that overtakes his face when Calum rushes him, kissing his mouth so hard it almost hurts. It's the roughest Calum's kissed him all night, and Ashton's more than a little taken aback, but he likes it.

"Thank you," Calum whispers to him, like a secret, before Michael gets his hands on Calum's jeans and pulls him away.

"Calm down, baby. You don't want to get too excited before we even start, do you?" Michael's laughing a little as he says it, looking at Calum with so much fondness it makes Ashton's chest tighten up. He hopes maybe they'll both look at him like that one day.

Calum shakes his head, looking down at his feet for a moment. He doesn't seem depleted for long, though, since he gives them each a quick kiss before he pulls out his phone and starts doing a Google search on nearby taxi services.

"You're sure?" Michael asks him.

This time, Ashton doesn't even have to think twice before he says, "I'm positive."

*******

It's not freezing outside, necessarily, but it's definitely chillier than Ashton would care for. He hadn't brought a jacket with him tonight, and it looks like none of them had, but he doesn't mind so much. Not when it creates an excuse to huddle all together in an attempt to stay warm.

Calum's like a little heater, Ashton's come to realize. He stays in between Ashton and Michael, allowing them to snuggle into him as his body radiates an unbelievable amount of warmth. He doesn't even flinch when Ashton presses his cold fingers to his skin, just pulls Ashton in closer and rubs over the icy appendages with his hand fondly.

The taxi is taking what feels like ages to arrive, despite that Calum had said on the phone to send the closest one there was. Apparently, the closest one is some forty five minutes out, because they've been waiting for close to that long now.

When it does finally pull up, the driver spewing out apology after apology, Ashton thinks hypothermia may be setting in. His teeth are chattering just a bit, and when Michael notices this, he immediately declares that Ashton will be sitting in between them, no questions asked. Calum doesn't appear to have much of a problem with that, since he just climbs in and crawls all the way over before eagerly patting the seat next to him, encouraging Ashton to fill the empty space.

Three grown men in the back of a taxi isn't a particularly convenient or comfortable arrangement, but Ashton finds it difficult to complain. He's got two beautiful boys pressed up against him, and he's surrounded by hot air coming from the vents. Life is pretty solid right about now.

Michael rambles off the address of their apartment building to the driver, reaching out and sliding up the divider afterwards. Ashton feels bad for a second, because the driver must know what that means, but then Michael's still-cold lips are running along his neck and Ashton doesn't have it in him to even think about anything else.

"Can't wait to get you back to our place," Michael murmurs, the warmth of his breath a stark contrast to the chill of his mouth. It makes Ashton shiver, press closer for more. "Gonna have so much fun with you."

Ashton hums, turning his head to catch Michael in a kiss. It draws a similar noise from Michael, content and happy, and he can feel the blonds’ fingers trailing along the inside of his thigh. Without thinking, Ashton spreads his legs wider, enjoying the growl Michael gives him at the access.

Michael takes some more liberties then, inching his hand up further until he's got his thumb rubbing along the zipper on Ashton's jeans. It's a rough kind of friction, and Ashton imagines it'd be a bit painful if Michael pressed down any harder, but he also sort of loves it that way.

To his other side, Calum's squirming, clearly pining for some attention of his own. His whole body keeps shifting, like he's trying to find the best angle, so Ashton pulls away from Michael to appease the other boy.

"No." Michael says quickly, cupping Ashton's jaw firmly and holding his head still so that he can't so much as see Calum. "Eyes on me."

Ashton's about to ask if he's done something wrong, if maybe he's overstepped a boundary somehow, and this is Michael's way of saying he doesn't even want Ashton to _look_ at Calum anymore.

But then he hears the desperate whine that comes from Calum, feels the way Calum turns his whole body so that his hips are pressing into Ashton's side. Hears the broken little "Please" that escapes his mouth, and suddenly, Ashton gets it.

"Oh my god," Ashton whispers, looking at Michael with eyes he knows are blown as wide as saucers. "He gets off on it."

Calum makes a sound like he's been kicked, burying his face in Ashton's shoulder at the same time as Michael grins widely.

"He loves it. Loves people talking about him like he's not even in the room." Michael leans closer, resting his mouth by Ashton's ear as he speaks again. "If we keep it up, he'll come so quick the second one of us so much as touches him."

Ashton can't tell if it's him or Calum that groans the loudest, then, because it's definitely a pretty evenly split competition. Michael presses the hand on Ashton's crotch down harder the second after he finishes talking, like he's anticipating the arousal his words send coursing throughout Ashton's body.

He can't help the way his hips tick up, grinding into Michael's palm. It's all he can do to maintain his cool at this point, biting down on the fabric of Michael's shirt to muffle his pathetic noises as he shamelessly humps Michael's hand. He'd thought Calum was just desperate, earlier, when Michael had him coming apart under his hand in seconds. But now, Ashton's beginning to think maybe Michael's something of an _expert_ with his hands. That maybe he's one when it comes to his fingers, too.

It strikes him then that nobody's bothered to touch Michael's dick all night, and given the circumstances, he decides that's probably unfair.

So he fidgets just a little bit to find the best angle, making sure he rubs up against Calum in the process. It draws another plead from the boy, but Ashton ignores him, feeling a rush of satisfaction when Calum just sighs in exasperation.

Michael gasps when Ashton slides his hand down between them, kissing Ashton firmly at the same time as he moans. Ashton determinedly does not feel upset about that, about Michael stifling the noise, and reminds himself he'll have plenty of other opportunities to hear Michael tonight.

As if on cue, the taxi comes rolling to a stop, the divider slowly sliding down as the driver tells them they've arrived. Ashton goes to pull out his wallet to split the fare, but Calum just holds his hands down while Michael hands the driver a couple bills, telling Ashton they've got it covered.

The shock of exiting the warm taxi to stand on the sidewalk in the cold is enough to chill Ashton out, to get himself to calm down a bit after he'd allowed Michael to work him up. He waits for Calum to finish clambering out of the car, extending his arm for Calum to latch onto as soon as he's on the sidewalk with the other two.

Then the taxi drives away, and Ashton suddenly feels like this is the moment. They're truly alone now, it's _real_ now.

It's effortlessly easy to just follow Michael inside, Calum clinging to his arm and whispering about how excited he is to have Ashton with them. It's endearing, so Ashton gives Calum's cheek a little kiss to let him know as much.

The lobby of their apartment building is warmly lit and smells like cinnamon, which gives Ashton an odd sense of comfort. The place feels like coming home, even though he's 100% sure he's never been anywhere near this building before.

Calum and Michael's apartment is on the third floor of what looks like a ten story building, so the elevator ride takes next to no time at all. There's roughly five rooms on each floor, but the building itself seems huge, so Ashton guesses the actual individual apartments must be rather spacious.

His hunch is confirmed when Calum separates himself from Ashton to unlock their front door. Ashton follows the two of them inside once the door is open, finds himself wondering how much they make to afford a nice place like this.

It's a little cold, since Calum and Michael have both been out all night and apparently didn't want to leave the heater running, so that's the first thing Michael sets off to fix. Calum turns on the living room light, illuminating a good portion of the apartment, before he extends a hand to Ashton.

"Want anything to drink?" Calum offers, nodding in the direction of the kitchen. Ashton just shakes his head, reaching out to take the hand Calum's offering him. He pulls Calum closer, giving the boy a kiss that knocks the air out of his lungs.

The whir of what must be the heater kicks on, Michael reemerging from the hallway right as Calum pulls away from Ashton's kiss. Michael only smiles at them, folding his arms over his chest as Calum glances between them, like he’s trying to decide what his next move is going to be. Michael's apparently already got an idea, though, since he steps closer and crowds into Calum's space, fingertips tracing over the design Ashton painted earlier.

"Go hop in the shower, yeah?" Michael suggests, though it's laced lightly with what sounds like direct instruction. "Want you to be all clean for us. For Ash."

Calum chews on his lip, squeaks out an affirmation before he glances shyly over at Ashton. He doesn't say anything, like Ashton's sort of expecting him to, instead simply nodding at Michael before he starts off towards what must be the bathroom.

Ashton wants to point out that he literally couldn't care less about how messy Calum might be, but the obedient way in which Calum saunters off to do something 'for Ash' is definitely something he could get used to.

"Come on, I'll show you the bedroom," Michael says, starting off down the hall.

And Ashton intends to follow him, he really does. It's just that with nobody in his direct vicinity to distract him, he allows his eyes to wander, and he can't help but get hung up on the dozens of photos scattered around this apartment. One in particular catches his attention, one that's hanging on the wall in the hallway and looks faded with age.

It's Calum and Michael, without a doubt, but they're merely kids. Tiny enough that they must be around seven years old, _if_ that. The photo was taken in front of what looks like a playground, but they’ve got backpacks on, and Ashton realizes they've known each other since the days of elementary school.

"You alright?" Michael suddenly asks, sounding unsure and worried like he does every time he asks Ashton if he's still in this with them.

"Yeah, I just." Ashton's not sure what he means to say, trailing off as he reaches out to trace over the frame of the photograph. "Is this you guys?"

Michael cranes his neck, looking to see what Ashton's hung up on, before he chuckles and comes a little closer, looking at the picture with Ashton. "Yeah. First day of year three, I think. Feels like ages ago now."

"You guys have known each other since year three?" Ashton asks, bewildered.

The blond simply nods, pulling Ashton down a few steps. He points to a new photo, this one of a much older Calum and Michael, and instead of a school they're standing in front of a staircase, both in suits. They look dorky, awkwardly stuck between being kids and being men, but it's precious in a way Ashton can't wrap his heart around. They're sweet together.

"Fuck, is this prom?" He can't help the giggle that rumbles past his lips, leaning in to get a better look. Calum's all lanky and awkward, but Michael's not much better, though they're both considerably cute. "You had to be, what, seventeen?"

Michael chuckles along with him, staring at the photo with a look on his face that Ashton can only describe as pure love and happiness. "Sixteen, actually. That's the year we got together, finally. Our parents always said they saw it coming, I don't know why we were so surprised when it happened."

The rest of the hallway is littered with pictures like this, mostly Calum and Michael throughout the years they've been together. There's some mixed in that Ashton assumes are their families—he sees a recurring girl a few years older than himself that looks a lot like Calum, and Ashton guesses that must be Calum's sister, or something. It doesn't look like Michael has any siblings, though most of his childhood appears to have been spent with Calum by his side, so he probably never really even felt like he needed any to keep him company.

They're something straight out of a movie. That's what Ashton's walked into—a fucking romantic comedy or something equally as outrageous.

"You two are, like, storybook," Ashton huffs, and Michael just smiles hesitantly at him.

"We've loved each other for a long time," Michael starts, "but that doesn't make us perfect. There's days where being friends since we were six years old makes everything a bit more difficult."

Ashton swallows. "Like when you invite a random stranger into the relationship for one night?" He doesn't mean to sound bitter or jealous, but he also can't deny that that's 100% how he sounds.

"I know for a _fact_ Calum told you this wasn't like that." Michael frowns, worry lines so heavy Ashton has to shove down the urge to wipe them away with his thumb, or kiss them away with his lips. "But if you're looking for an excuse to get out of this, I'll go ahead and give you one."

Ashton sighs, shaking his head and rubbing the bridge of his nose. "No, it's not. I'm sorry, Mike. I don't want to leave, I really don't."

He feels Michael move closer more than he sees it happen, his body suddenly warmer where Michael's radiating against him. "You're not going to feel left out, I swear to you. We wouldn't have let it go this far if we had any doubts about that."

Ashton supposes that's fair. They're good together, Calum and Michael, like a match made in heaven, and Ashton knows he can't expect them to automatically be in sync with him and vice versa. But if they're willing to let him be witness to something personal like this, well then hell, who is he to question?

Michael keeps searching Ashton's face, trying to assess what's going on inside his head. To reassure him, Ashton plants a soft kiss on his nose, confident now that there's no way he's backing out of this. He's all in, for sure this time. He tells Michael as much, just to see the wide grin that the blond gives him in return.

"Well, then," Michael says, smirking. "What do you say we drop in to see how Calum's doing?"

Ashton nods, mirroring the cocky smile Michael's giving him. He follows Michael down the hall and through what must be the master bedroom (Ashton pointedly avoids noticing that the bed in there is absolutely massive) in order to get to the bathroom, and when they arrive at it, Michael just opens the door without announcing his entrance.

The room is fogging up, steam billowing up from over the top of the shower. There are already three towels stacked on the counter, suggesting Calum's probably anticipated that they'd be joining him.

He feels Michael's hand on his wrist, drawing his attention back to the blonds’ eyes. Michael's pupils are blown wide, his cheeks flushed, and Ashton honestly wouldn't be surprised if he looked the same way.

"Strip?" Michael asks, nodding down at all of Ashton's clothes. Michael's already discarded his shirt, and Ashton takes the moment to stare, since this is the first time Michael's been any sort of exposed all night.

Michael's gorgeous. Which Ashton already knew, of course, but now that Ashton can see more of him it's twice as endearing. He's soft in all the right places, no hard edges and all pale skin. He's a lovely contrast to Ashton and Calum, Ashton notes, like he’s the milk to their honey and coffee.

"You're gorgeous," Ashton says stupidly, and despite all of his earlier assuredness, Michael actually blushes at those words.

"You need to get naked." Michael redirects, still rosy cheeked and all smiles. Ashton wants to tease him for not being able to take a compliment, but he also really wants to get out of his clothes. Wants to get into that shower and see how good Calum looks with water running down his back. Wants to see how beautiful he and Michael would look kissing under the spray of the water.

He sheds his clothing faster than he probably ever has before, not even ashamed or shy like he usually is in the moments where someone new is seeing him naked for the first time. Maybe Michael just feels like a comfort, or maybe Ashton's just a little too horny to care. His cock's half hard, still, so probably it's the latter.

When he pulls back the curtain, he doesn't know what he's expecting to see. Calum washing off the paint with a washcloth, maybe, or running some shampoo through his hair.

What he knows for sure he _isn't_ expecting to see, though, is Calum arching his back off the tile of the shower wall, hand wrapped in a loose fist around his dick as he jerks the first few inches hard and fast. But that's precisely what he's looking at.

"Ash," Calum whispers, looking over at him with half-lidded eyes. He bucks his hips harder when Ashton hums back at him, whimpering like even the half assed acknowledgement is enough to make him come right then and there.

Ashton had been expecting some naked cuddles or domestic showering, maybe. He _hadn’t_ expected to jump right into it like this, but he supposed beggars can't be choosers.

"Uh oh, I recognize that sound." Michael says, sounding like he's just caught a kid stealing dessert after bedtime. Calum looks just the part, too, aside from the obvious explicitness of this particular scenario. His eyes are still wide, his mouth caught open like his tongue is hanging on an excuse, an explanation of some kind, but it never comes out.

Michael's behind him, suddenly, all naked pressing up against his back and making Ashton shiver. "Did you catch him getting off? He loves getting caught. Such a filthy boy, isn't he?"

It's interesting, the immediate way Michael's words course through Calum's entire body. Ashton supposes that's years of practice in action, years of figuring out just how Calum likes to be spoken to. Humiliation must be a big part of it, since Calum about creams himself every time Michael talks about Calum to Ashton like he's some kind of object.

"Yeah," Ashton says roughly, his throat like gravel. "I can tell. Knew we were gonna be joining him and he still couldn't wait any longer."

Michael kisses Ashton's shoulder, hard, burying what feels like a proud smile into his bare skin. It makes Ashton's blood pump harder, knowing he's said the right thing, that he's not completely clueless in this game.

Calum seems to enjoy it well enough, too, since he just gasps and stills his hand like the movement is too much with Ashton's words stacked on top of it.

"Please," the brunette whispers, and Ashton wants to reassure him, but he's not quite sure what Calum wants him to say. This is back in Michael's court—all Ashton can do is sit in Michael's corner and add on whenever it seems like Calum might need the extra push.

"Okay, okay." Michael coos, patting Ashton's hip gently. He pushes Ash a bit closer to the edge of the tub, keeps a hand on him as Ashton steps into the shower before he follows close behind and slides the curtain shut again.

It's cramped quarters inside the shower, but Calum does his best to make use of the space they _do_ have, pressing close to Ashton and cupping his hands around Ashton's face.

"Can I?" Calum asks, and Ashton nods rapidly before Calum arches up for a kiss. Ashton gives it back eagerly, bruising, sighing when he feels Michael's hands slide around his waist before the blond starts placing open mouthed kisses all over his shoulders and back.

Ashton lurches when he notices Calum's hand on the move, skirting down the bare expanse of his abdomen before he curls it around Ashton's cock.

"Oh, shit," Ashton hisses, surprised, and Calum must take that as encouragement. Which, Ashton's not telling him to _stop_ , so he guesses it _is_ encouragement, in a way. He fucks up into the touch a bit, letting Calum keep his fist loose and usable. "That's good, baby, just like that."

Calum preens, burying his forehead against Ashton's shoulder. He's looking down between them, watching his hand slide over Ashton's dick, watching himself coax Ashton into full hardness.

Calum must be moving his arm hard enough and fast enough that Michael can feel it even through the entire other body that's between them, because he bites down on Ashton's shoulder blade, chokes out expletives when he realizes what the two of them are up to.

"Both of you, Cal." Michael says, and it sounds like an instruction. Ashton's not sure what it means, but Calum seems to understand, since he gasps and nods, letting go of Ashton's cock to shake his hand out, loosen it up.

Calum backs up, fixing his stance, and it's only then that Ashton notices all the designs he'd painted on him earlier are washed off now. He probably scrubbed himself clean the second he got in here, desperate to follow directions and still get in some solo time before Michael and Ashton inevitably joined him.

When Calum comes closer again, he starts sliding his hand down between their bodies like he has the same intentions as before. Only this time, instead of wrapping his hand around Ashton alone, he tries to fit his fist around both of them at once.

" _Oh_ ," Ashton breathes, staring down between them with wide eyes. "Fuck, okay."

Calum bumps his nose into Ashton's cheek, nuzzling him like he's trying to be a comfort. Ashton lets him be one, turning his face closer so he can kiss Calum wherever his lips will reach. He's losing his footing a bit, a little lightheaded and off balance now, but he feels steadier when Calum caresses his cheek with his free hand.

It was one thing, the sensation of Calum's fist around his dick. But _this_ , this is other worldly, feeling Calum's fingers strain to stay around them both, feeling Calum snug up against him. His cock is red at the tip, all slippery wet with what could easily be from the water, but could also be precome from when he'd been jerking himself a few minutes ago. And Calum's hand looks so _small_ , wrapped around them, even though Ashton knows that's not the case.

He feels stupid, suddenly, standing there with his hands hanging awkwardly at his aides. He's not sure what to do with them, though, because he's got Calum humping against him and Michael behind him, pinned so close he can feel what has to be Michael's cock against the curve of his ass. Michael's fucking against him, rolling his hips into Ashton's ass like he's already buried inside it.

And that's, just. Ashton's suddenly so aware that that's exactly where this will all end up. Michael might fuck him tonight, or maybe even Calum. Calum doesn't really seem like he would, normally, but Ashton's willing to bet he’d do it if they asked him nicely enough. He seems like the type to do practically anything if it meant he might be considered a good boy for it.

Ashton reaches back, fumbling blindly for Michael's dick and only succeeding in bumping his fingers against the softness of his tummy. Michael hums appreciatively when he realizes what Ashton's going for, pressing down on Ashton's hand until he finds it.

Jerking someone off while facing away from them is easier than Ashton would have expected it to be, despite that it cramps his wrist up significantly more than doing this the normal way due to the awkward angle. Michael doesn't seem too disappointed with the quality, though, nipping at Ashton's neck and soothing the hurt it causes with his tongue once Ashton winces at the sensation.

Ashton notices another difference between Calum and Michael, then, but honestly, it's hard _not_ to pick up on it. Michael's behind him, panting softly into the nape of his neck while he spills out the occasional breathless moan that he cuts off halfway through. He's quiet, aside from his obvious talent with dirty talk, and Ashton's pretty sure he's in love with that. With the sounds Michael makes, no matter how muted.

Michael's also reserved, keeping his hips still as Ashton works his fist over his cock slowly. He clearly loves to sit and enjoy, likes other people to work for it. Distantly, Ashton wonders what it'd be like to ride Michael—if he'd just lay back, hands behind his head, while Ashton worked to get them both there.

Calum, on the other hand.

Calum's anything _but_ quiet. He's shameless in the noises he makes, all high pitched whines and desperate little grunts. He talks, too, though not in the same way as Michael. Instead, he mostly mumbles incoherently, gasping out little phrases that don't make much sense to anybody but himself.

He can't stay still, either, continuously bucking his hips forward against Ashton's as he clenches and unclenches his fingers against Ashton's bicep.

Right on cue, Calum keeps his mouth hanging open after a sharp gasp, his nails digging into the skin of Ashton's arm before he moans, "I'm really close, fuck. I'm gonna come."

Ashton pulls back then, cutting off any contact between their bodies right away. Calum whines, trying to get close again, but Ashton just holds out a hand and presses it on Calum's hip, keeping him angled away.

"Don't want you to come, yet," Ashton mumbles without thinking. He realizes a second after he says it that this might not be their game, that Ashton might not have the right to say things like that. For a moment, he's expecting a slap to the side of his head and for Michael to tell Calum to go ahead and finish so they can get this over with and call it a day.

Of course, that's not what Michael does, and Ashton's reminded why he's the luckiest man in the world to have been invited into their apartment tonight.

"I like the way you think." Michael says, sliding his arms around Ashton's waist and holding him close. Ashton has to drop Michael's dick to avoid some serious discomfort, but Michael doesn't seem to mind even a little bit.

"I don't," Calum complains, standing across from them with a pitiful slouch to him that makes Ashton emit some sound halfway between a coo and a giggle.

He can't help but open his arms, encouraging Calum to slide into them, which he does, right before he angles his neck up for a kiss. Ashton allows him one, just quick and chaste before it's gone again.

"Oh, calm down. You'll come tonight, and you know it." Michael snorts, reaching around Ashton to pinch Calum's side teasingly. They both laugh when Calum jumps, makes a squealing noise. "Come on, let's take this somewhere a bit more comfortable."

*******

The bed in the master bedroom is definitely as big, if not _bigger_ , than Ashton originally thought. It practically dwarfs Calum when he throws himself down on it, barely dry after shimmying the towel over himself a couple of times.

It _still_ looks huge when Michael chuckles and crawls onto the mattress behind Calum, two fully grown men looking like kids because of the size of the damn thing. At least they won't have to worry about cramming themselves all on one bed—it's clearly large enough to fit them all comfortably.

Calum's laying starfished on the bed, arms and legs spread with his knees bent like he's waiting for somebody to slide between them. Because Michael's closer, Ashton lets him have the opportunity, watching as the blond rolls over and settles himself into Calum's embrace.

"You're heavy. How do you make yourself weigh like a thousand pounds sometimes?" Calum jokes, and Ashton hears a smack ring out that must've been a reprimanding swat Calum definitely deserved.

"You're a dick." Michael replies, probably going for offensive, but instead it just sounds hideously fond.

The banter is cut off by what sounds like kissing, and a quick glance over to the bed tells Ashton they're doing exactly that. Michael's got one hand braced beside Calum's head, holding himself up, and the other is caressing Calum's cheek so delicately it's like he's afraid the boy might break.

Calum's arching up for the kiss, letting Michael just take and _take_ from him, whatever he wants from Calum. It's fucking stunning to watch, because Calum and Michael aren't like porn. Calum and Michael are real, they're what it's all about. They're _love_. They're the epitome of what knowing each other since they were six years old is supposed to look like.

Ashton feels his stomach flip, and when Michael does something with his mouth that makes Calum moan against it, Ashton can't help but slide his hand down to brush over his dick just to take a bit of the edge off.

Without pulling away from Michael's mouth, Calum reaches out to the side, in the direction he last saw Ashton. He's still standing in that same spot, so Ashton only has to take a few steps closer before Calum's able to rest his hand on Ashton's hip. He leaves it there, like he just needed the reassurance that Ashton was still there, and Ashton dances his fingers over Calum's to let him know he appreciates being remembered.

"Get up here." Michael suggests when he pulls away for air, turning his head to look up. Ashton can't help but notice how they're both at the perfect angle to suck him off, right now.

"Yeah, okay." Ashton says, hiking one knee up so he can push up onto the mattress. Calum makes a happy noise when he feels the dip in the bed, instantly rolling his torso out from underneath Michael in order to inch closer.

Michael scoffs when he feels it, sitting back on his heels as Calum slithers up to Ashton instead. "Rude," he mumbles, giving Calum's ass a playful smack before he pushes off the bed. Calum squirms at the contact, giggling afterwards.

"Hey," Calum whispers, tugging at Ashton's waist. "Relax. Lay down, yeah?"

It's hard to argue with the pleading look in Calum's eyes, so Ashton just nods without further comment, falling over onto his back so he can lie down against the pile of pillows near the headboard. He doesn't know where Michael went off to, and can't really motivate himself to look—not when Calum is sliding over to him, hands braced on his calves and slowly pushing his legs apart.

He thinks he should feel exposed, but he just _doesn’t_ , similar to how he felt earlier in the bathroom with Michael. He's never felt so comfortable so fast, with _anyone_. Except maybe Ashley, but she hardly counts. She’s not somebody he’d have sex with.

Calum lies down between Ashton's legs, burying his face in the crook of Ashton's hip as he looks up with sweet eyes. He looks cute and small, like he belongs there, and Ashton can't help it when he reaches down and brushes his fingers through the boy's hair.

"The prettiest boy," Ashton whispers down to him, and Calum smiles that signature grin of his, eating up the praise.

Calum closes his eyes and nuzzles his face impossibly closer, pressing a little kiss to Ashton's hip bone. When he opens them again, he's looking at Ashton's dick, which is lying full and hard against his stomach. Ashton beats back the desire that bubbles up when Calum licks his lips, staring at Ashton's cock like it's a present that's been left there for him.

Shyly, Calum looks back up at Ashton, but there's something different about the way he does it. This time, it's through lashes and half lidded eyes, clearly fueled by arousal rather than anything else.

"Can I suck you off?" Calum asks, like that's the kind of question you just ask somebody out of the blue. Though, Ashton supposes this hardly counts as out of the blue. They're both naked, both hard, and sex has been on the table for hours now.

So Ashton nods, not trusting himself to say anything without his voice cracking.

"God, thank you. Been thinking about it for hours." Calum murmurs nonsensically, rolling over so that he's situated on his elbows and knees, bum up in the air. Ashton lets himself groan just a little at the boy's words, only enough so that it can be taken as encouragement.

Calum doesn't waste any time, picking Ashton's cock up with his hand and skipping past the awkward stage of testing the weight of it. He's already done as much in the shower, and apparently he's a man that likes to get right down to business. Which is why Ashton's not expecting it when Calum opens his mouth and sucks over the head, sliding down as far as he can before he sputters and tries to relax his throat, warming up.

"Oh my god," Ashton hisses, sliding his fingers through Calum's hair more surely. He grips tightly, and mostly unintentionally, but Calum doesn't show any sign that he doesn't like whatever pain it must be causing.

Some rustling on the other side of the room catches Ashton's attention, and he glances over to see Michael wandering back in through the door. He's got condoms in his hand and a frustrated look on his face, probably pissed that he had to go on a scavenger hunt to find the damn things and end up missing out on Calum's dick sucking adventures.

Michael handles walking in on them like this surprisingly well, not even so much as flinching before he tosses the condoms down on the other side of the bed and continues on towards the nightstand, probably for lube.

Calum seems to realize that the attention isn't directly on him anymore, because he whines and jerks his body like he's throwing a tantrum. Ashton just tightens his grip on Calum's hair, tugging harshly as an attempt to tell him to cut it out, and Calum hums more contentedly.

The vibrations of the sound shoot up Ashton's spine, and he shivers, arching his back a little. Calum makes another happy sound around Ashton's cock, shoving his head down further, choking himself on it.

"Good, good," Ashton gasps, staring down at Calum in amazement. His jaw is dropped in shock, watching as Calum manages to somehow make sucking cock look beautiful.

Michael's suddenly climbing onto the bed behind Calum, sitting on his heels again as he admires what must be a magnificent view. Ashton's slightly jealous of it, but he also can't deny the one he has right now is pretty damn brilliant.

The familiar sound of a bottle uncapping fills the room, and Calum makes another one of his pleased sounds, the one that sounds like a purr, as he wiggles his hips and bows his back to stick his ass out harder. It makes Michael chuckle lowly, mounting a hand on Calum's ass like he physically needs to be touching it to keep on breathing. Ashton's not one to debate that logic—Calum's ass _is_ pretty wonderful.

Calum jerks suddenly, like he's surprised, but Michael shushes him before Calum can even think to say anything.

"It's cold, I know. It'll feel better in a second, you know that. Stay still." Michael instructs, keeping one hand on Calum's hip while the other moves below Ashton's line of sight. And he can't see for sure, but he knows Michael must be playing with his ass, for Calum to be fidgeting the way he is.

One of Calum's hands is on the move again, a dangerous game right now, and Ashton about shoots out of his skin when he feels a finger prodding between his cheeks, grazing over his own hole. He sucks in a gush of air, hard, giving Calum wide and crazy eyes.

Calum pulls off, breathless when he asks, "Can I—?"

Just as breathlessly, Ashton grunts out, "Shit, I, yeah. Go for it." He lifts his hips, hoping it might help, but Calum just pins them back down and licks down the length of Ashton's dick.

"You guys are so hot, fuck," Michael growls, his hand now moving faster than before. Ashton admires Calum's ability to stay rather calm—he knows he'd be a mess if he had somebody fucking him with their fingers that good. "I knew you were an ass man, Ash."

He can feel Calum's spit slick finger circling his hole, pressure firm enough to tease, but not enough to actually press in yet. Just as well, Calum returns to fucking his mouth down onto his dick, and Ashton can feel the slight forward movement of Calum's body that must be a repercussion of just how hard Michael's thrusting his fingers in.

"You caught me," Ashton jokes back, though it trails off into a high moan when Calum finally slides his finger in.

Michael doesn't make fun of him like he easily could, instead focusing his attention back to opening Calum up. "All set, sweetheart?" Michael asks gently, softer than he's spoken to Calum all night.

Calum nods around his mouthful, and Michael wastes no time unwrapping a condom and sliding it down over his cock. Ashton watches in awe, his mouth caught open on a silent moan as he tries to take it in all at once. It's hard to handle, watching Michael situate himself up on his knees behind Calum, gearing up to fuck him, all while he's got Calum's hot mouth around him and Calum's finger inside him.

When Michael finally presses in, Calum has to pull off so he can breathe a bit harder, but Ashton definitely doesn't blame him. It must be a lot, Michael's not _small_ by any stretch, so Ashton just pets Calum's cheek and hopes that's enough of a comfort, because it's all he has in him right now to give.

" _Jesus_ ," Michael pants, head falling down as he breathes heavily and works himself all the way in with tiny little jerks of his hips. It's making Calum come apart, shaking with need, but Ashton guesses that's probably the point. If anybody knows how to fuck Calum best, it's got to be Michael.

"How's that feel?" Ashton asks, unsure who he's really directing the question at. He supposes Calum, since he's the one he's petting fondly, and since he's the one that answers.

"Really good," Calum says back, right before he starts moving his finger again. It makes Ashton gasp, squirm down against it, and Calum kisses his hip softly. "How about you? How's that feel?"

Ashton laughs a little, then, and he's not sure why. "Definitely good. You're doing great, Cal."

Calum beams, smiling up at Ashton like those words mean the absolute world to him. Quickly, he gives another one of his soft kisses to Ashton's stomach, before he turns his neck to glance at Michael over his shoulder.

"I'm ready when you are." He jokes, and even though Ashton can't see it, he can hear the smile in Calum's voice.

Michael nods, bending down to give Calum a sweet kiss before he starts rocking his hips forward in a more constant motion, building up a rhythm. Calum gasps, and Ashton feels the sheets beside his hip tighten where Calum must've twisted them up in his fingers.

It's not long at all before Michael gets merciless with it, thrusting in hard and fast in a way that makes Calum's whole body lurch forward. More than once, his lips incidentally brush against Ashton's cock, and every time, Calum will flick his tongue out like he wants a taste even though it's difficult to focus on actually sucking him right now.

Calum's finger has stilled inside him, but that's okay. The pressure of it is what gets Ashton off more than anything, just knowing it's there, threatening to curl and brush against his prostate at any given moment.

Michael looks magnificent like this, Ashton notes, and a lot like a guy fucking his boyfriend is probably supposed to look. His pale hands are braced on Calum's ass, contrasting against the much darker skin, and he manages to make something obscene look actually rather beautiful.

One of Michael's hands leaves its spot, trailing up Calum's back until his fingers tangle in the boy's hair. He tugs roughly, and Calum whimpers, his finger slipping out of Ashton in his surprise, and Ashton swears his heart drops all the way down to his stomach at the beautiful sound.

"Does he like that?" Ashton asks, astonished, and Michael gives him a nod followed by a dark chuckle.

"It's his favorite. You should see how he gets when I toss him around a bit." Michael leans down, plastering his chest to Calum's back as he keeps murmuring right into the boy's ear, though still loud enough for Ashton to hear. "You should see how he is when I spank him."

Ashton swallows dryly, watching them together, both of their faces so close to his poor, neglected dick. He also can't stop staring at the expression on Calum's face, caught somewhere between pleasure and agony. It's intriguing.

"Can you do it now?" Ashton asks before he can stop himself.

Calum squirms, and Michael gives Ashton a wink before he pushes back up onto his knees behind Calum who's limp on all fours, his face pillowed against the top of Ashton's thigh.

"Watch this." Michael says, rubbing his hand over one of Calum's cheeks to get him used to being touched. Then, without warning, he reels back, laying a hard smack down onto the skin, and Calum's whole body shakes as he moans and bites down on Ashton's thigh.

Ashton's mesmerized, petting Calum's hair in a weak attempt to calm the boy down. Calum seems beyond consolation, though, rocking his hips back on Michael's dick like he wants everything all at once.

"You're okay," Ashton soothes, even though Calum definitely appears to be more than okay. As a matter of fact, Ashton doesn't think he's ever seen someone look so content in his life. Calum's practically purring, kissing over the harsh bite he'd left on Ashton's thigh as he squirms his hips, begging for another hit. "Can you do it harder?"

Calum whimpers when Ashton asks the question, looking up at him with lust clouded eyes. His mouth is hung open, panting, and he's staring at Ashton like he's literally just become Calum's favorite person in the world.

Michael responds to Ashton's question with another smack, this one audibly harsher judging by the echo of the sound in the room. Calum's voice cracks halfway through his loud moan, and Ashton feels his chest swell with pride just a bit at the realization that Calum's voice would probably be in better shape had he not been trying to deepthroat him a couple minutes ago.

"Stay still, Mikey," Ashton says suddenly, meeting Michael's eyes over Calum's body between them. The blond just raises an eyebrow, intrigued, before he slows his hips down gradually until he's not moving at all.

Calum pouts, making a sound like he's about to start crying. Ashton coos at him the same second that Michael reaches forward to pet at his lower back lovingly, and the combination is enough of a comfort to get the boy to calm down a bit.

Ashton grabs Calum's jaw, picking up his head so that the boy is forced to stare directly up at him. He feels Calum's throat clench next to his hand when the boy swallows roughly, giving Ashton a look like he doesn't know what he did wrong to deserve not being fucked anymore.

"I want you to do the work, okay? Want you to show us what you can do." Ashton explains, swiping his thumb over Calum's lower lip. "Would that be alright?"

Calum nods so hard his hair falls into his eyes, and Ashton chuckles before pushing the curls back. "Okay, okay. Whenever you're ready."

The boy doesn't waste a second of time, eagerly throwing himself back into it. He wraps his mouth around the head of Ashton's cock at the same time as he starts rocking back on Michael's dick, setting up a rhythm until he's _properly_ fucking himself, Michael buried in his ass and Ashton filling up his mouth in alternation.

Ashton's amazed at how effortlessly Calum takes this, at how trained he seems to be at catering to others like this. He figures that has a lot to do with Michael, though, and what Michael usually asks of Calum in the bedroom when Ashton isn't around to see it.

He hadn't even realized how firm the grip he had in Calum's hair had become until his fingers are suddenly being removed from it. At first he assumes he's been a little too rough, that Calum's coaxing his locks free. But when Ashton focuses back in on what's happening, he sees Michael wrapping an arm around Calum's chest, yanking him up and ultimately off of Ashton's dick altogether.

Ashton frowns at the loss, opening his mouth to protest. Whatever he'd been about to say dies on his tongue right then, though, when he sees Michael pull Calum up until they're both kneeling, Calum's back pressed up against Michael's chest as he attempts to keep grinding down on his boyfriend. Michael's got a hand settled around Calum's throat, the other on Calum's hip, fingers twitching towards the boy's cock but never making an obvious move for it.

Michael buries his face against Calum's profile, and Ashton can see that the blond is whispering into Calum's ear. It's too quiet for Ashton to hear, though, even though they're not truly that far away from each other.

Calum makes a high noise at whatever Michael's saying, eagerly turning his head so that when he replies in the same secretive tone, his lips brush against Michael's. Whatever Calum says must be amazing, because Michael looks like he stops breathing for a full five seconds before he's nodding eagerly.

"Ask nicely, Calum." Michael says, suddenly louder than he'd been before. It throws Ashton off, makes him realize they must've been talking about him, especially when Calum blushes all over and glances hesitantly over at him. "I'm sure he'd love to hear what you just told me."

Ashton already feels his stomach fluttering, his dick giving an interested twitch before Calum can even so much as blink at him. The boy reaches out, grabbing for Ashton's hand, before he goes, "Um. I was hoping maybe you'd want to fuck me, too?"

His heart pounds unbelievably harder, and he's nodding, grasping for Calum and pulling him down into a bruising kiss. Calum just hums, doesn't even flinch, even though the kiss actually hurts Ashton's lips a bit.

"Yeah." Ashton says after he's pulled away, stroking a hand up Calum's side. "Yeah, I'll fuck you, if that's what you want."

Michael chuckles, leaning down to kiss at Calum's shoulder as he starts up with these shallow, half-hearted thrusts. "He doesn't mean alone."

At first, Ashton's confused. Because of course, not _alone_ , Michael's right here in the room with them. Ashton fucking Calum would hardly count as _alone_ if Michael's less than two feet away, watching and probably even helping in some way.

"I'm not following." Ashton says honestly.

Calum hums, looking at Michael as best he can before he turns back to meet Ashton's eyes. "Not alone, as in, like, at the same time. Both of you."

It takes a couple of beats for Ashton to get it, but once he does, he swears time stops. His whole body goes rigid, shocked, before he's desperately pulling Calum close to him and kissing him all over his face. Calum giggles under the affection, squirming.

"Holy shit, are you sure?" Ashton asks, glancing between Calum and Michael's faces. Michael's just a few inches too far for a kiss, which Ashton tries not to feel let down about, so he just reaches to rake his fingers through the blond hair instead. "Can you handle that, Cal? It's not gonna be, like, easy."

Calum rolls his eyes. "I _know_ that."

Ashton wants to make a remark about how now is not the time to be a stubborn brat, that what Calum's asking of them is actually a mildly extreme thing for his body to handle. He doesn't want Calum to jump in if he's not ready.

Before he can say any of that, though, Michael pipes up. "We've been working up to it. He can take me and four of my fingers without a hitch." Proudly, Michael ruffles Calum's hair, and Calum preens before he frowns slightly. A quick glance over Calum's shoulder tells him the pout is probably due to the fact that Michael's just pulled out of him.

"Okay," Ashton says after a moment’s hesitation. "But you have to speak up if it's not feeling good anymore. Four fingers and a dick isn't quite the same as two of them, y'know?"

Calum nods, kissing Ashton's nose softly. "Hey. I know my limits, okay? You don't have to worry about babying me. All I ask is that you fuck me better than you've ever fucked anyone, and let _me_ worry about what I can and can't take."

It takes everything Ashton has not to rebut Calum's request, but he knows he has to respect the boy. At the end of the day, Calum knows his body more than anybody else here, even Michael, so Ashton has no concrete argument here anyway.

"I trust you." Calum adds, like he somehow knows that Ashton needed to hear it, even if Ashton himself hadn't realized he did. "Do you trust me? Trust _us_?"

Ashton doesn't even need to think before he widens his eyes, whispers "Of course I do." Michael's scooted up off the bed at some point during their exchange, and when he returns to the mattress, it's with an extra condom in hand.

"You first." Michael says, tossing the foil packet onto Ashton's chest before he takes his place on his knees behind Calum once more. Ashton can feel Michael's soft thighs pressing against his own, and it makes Ashton dizzy to know they'll all be touching while they do this, all connecting in some way. "He's already opened up, obviously, so don't worry about that."

Ashton nods, fingers shaking slightly as he rips open the packet. He's cautious not to tear the condom itself, because then he'd have to awkwardly ask Michael for another, and Ashton's not sure he wants to wait even another second.

In the end, it's Calum who takes the wrapper from Ashton's nervous fingers, sliding out the condom and rolling the latex down onto Ashton's dick. It takes a lot of willpower not to fuck up into Calum's perfect grip, perfect hands, but he somehow manages, even when Calum strokes him with more of a purpose. Like he _wants_ Ashton to lose it a little more than he already has.

He's gearing up to ask how they want to do this, but not for the first time tonight, Calum's one step ahead. The boy is already straddling Ashton's hips, grinding his ass against Ashton's cock as he stares down at him with a sultry look in his eyes and his tongue licking sinfully at his bottom lip.

Michael's the one who picks Ashton's dick up, one hand lining him up with Calum's hole while the other caresses Calum's hip. Suddenly, Ashton wonders if they've ever been with other people like this. If Calum needs the comforting gesture as much as Michael seems to need to give it because they've never watched or had anyone fuck each other besides themselves.

He doesn't have the heart to say anything, though, suddenly, because Calum's sinking down on him, wrapping him up in a suffocatingly tight grip. He can feel Calum's muscles fluttering around him, like they're trying to get used to having a dick inside again, even though it's only been a couple of minutes since Michael was occupying this same space.

It takes half a second for Ashton to remember how any minute now, Michael will be filling Calum up again _with_ Ashton. Calum feels pretty fucking tight already—Ashton isn't sure how Michael's possibly going to fit.

"Jesus," Calum whispers, eyebrows knitted high on his forehead as he leans back against Michael. His back is arched beautifully, one of his hands resting on Ashton's tummy as he circles his hips experimentally. Michael just holds him, whispers comforts into his boy's ear, and Ashton focuses on not coming five fucking seconds into this thing.

"Yeah," is Ashton's Super Intelligent response, his head falling back against the pillows as he tries to settle down his breathing. Calum's so tight around him, so _warm_ , and Ashton's pretty sure he's never felt something so perfect in his life.

He feels Michael's fingers before Calum seems to, the digits bumping against Ashton's cock as he moves them closer to Calum's hole. It's the first reality check of the evening, and Ashton suddenly realizes he isn't dreaming, this is an actual thing that's happening. They're going to fuck Calum at the same time, and seemingly soon.

When Michael presses two fingers in, Calum gives a gasp of "Mikey—" and slams his hips down _hard_. It makes Ashton bite his tongue and moan deep from his chest, fingers tightening around Calum's thighs where they'd come to rest at some point.

"S'okay, Pup. You're okay," Michael whispers, giving Calum a sweet kiss on the neck. Ashton hasn't heard Michael use the nickname all night, but it makes Calum writhe happily, so he guesses it's some sort of thing with them. He doesn't ask about it, yet, though. Doesn't think it's exactly the right time to do so. "I have you. We have you."

Calum opens his eyes back up at the 'we', and instantly they drift to Ashton's face. He rubs his hand over Ashton's stomach, either like he's reminding Ashton that he hasn't forgotten about him, or like he's reminding himself that Ashton's actually still there, is actually _real_.

"Doing amazing, Cal." Ashton tells him, because he thinks Calum might need the reassurance. Calum just smiles, pats over Ashton's skin again.

"He's right," Michael concurs. "You're doing so well for us." He hums when Calum grinds down a little harder, obviously comfortable now, despite the extra stretch. "Gonna go one more finger, and then my cock, okay?"

"Okay," Calum breathes, bending down to give Michael a better angle, but also probably so that he can kiss Ashton, since that's what he sets to doing right away. Ashton can't help but shudder, moan against Calum's mouth desperately when he can feel three of Michael's fingers thrusting in, all snug against his cock and making Calum feel even tighter. His hips tick up, desperate for friction, but Calum just shakes his head, whispering for Ashton to wait.

Ashton's not standardly a patient guy, but he tries, he really does. He knows it's important for Calum to be opened up properly, but waiting is difficult when it comes to sex. Besides, it's not as if he isn't enjoying himself. Calum sucking at his neck and rocking down on his cock is definitely a good distraction from the time it's taking Michael to stretch him out.

Calum keeps whining into Ashton's neck, making these small little noises that send jolts of electricity up and down Ashton's spine before the sparks settle heavy in his lower abdomen. The boy's got one hand holding himself up, the other running along Ashton's body, touching him anywhere he can, attempting to ground himself, probably.

Ashton's able to feel it this time when Michael pulls out, his fingers suddenly disappearing as he feels the blond shift himself a bit. Calum's whole body hitches in anticipation, his muscles clenching around Ashton particularly hard, so Ashton kisses him gently in order to encourage him to relax again.

"You ready?" Michael asks, tapping Calum on the waist. Ashton lets the boy pull away from the kiss without a fight so that he can answer Michael, but his body instantly yearns for the soft lips against his own the very second he doesn't have them anymore.

"As I'll ever be," Calum huffs, repositioning himself on his knees. His face is pressed against Ashton's chest, his eyes closed as he breathes slowly to stay relaxed, and Ashton pets his hair briefly.

The second Michael presses his cock against Calum's hole, it feels like it's going to be too much. Calum's chest hitches on an inhale, and Ashton finds himself mimicking the action, holding his breath as he feels Michael rub the head over the entrance, trying to catch, to get himself to fit.

It takes several tries for Michael to finally succeed, the blond growing visibly frustrated every time it doesn't work. But once it does, Calum's moaning so hard his voice cracks before Michael even has more than the tip inside of him.

"Oh my _god_ ," Calum says, sounding so fucking small, and he pants hard against Ashton's chest when Michael pauses to give all three of them a chance to recollect themselves.

"Are you okay?" Ashton asks, and he chuckles a little bit when both of the boys give him a nod. He's overwhelmed himself, feeling dizzy with the sensation of Michael's cock pressed up against his own like this. Calum's so tight around them, so hot, and they haven't even started properly fucking him yet. He can't imagine what the boy will be like once they _do_.

"Calum?" Michael asks, his voice wavering with his heavy pants. He's barely keeping his cool, but Ashton doesn't blame him. He's having a similar problem.

Michael's hands start trailing along Calum's hips and waist, his fingers occasionally bumping Ashton's, who's still got his hands resting high up on Calum's thighs.

Calum's shaking ever so slightly, the muscles in his thighs rigid and tense as he tries to keep himself somewhat upright. Weakly, he whispers, "So good, just like I wanted it." Ashton can see the fondness and relief that washes over Michael's face, then, as the blond leans down to plant quick kisses in Calum's hair. "Keep going. Fuck me."

Ashton moans first, biting down on his bottom lip so he doesn't say anything stupid. Michael simply smirks, pushing back up and gripping Calum's hips firmly as he starts rocking into him.

Somehow, Calum finds the strength to push himself upright, his hands planted beside Ashton's shoulders, bowing his back and sticking his ass out harder. The noises he's making are unlike any Ashton's ever heard, broken and squeaky but also so fucking _loud_.

"God, Cal. Taking us so well." Michael praises, sounding entranced. He's fucking in a little harder now, since Calum's more adjusted, and Ashton's still in absolute awe. "Prettiest I've ever seen you. So fucking pretty with two cocks in you."

Calum sobs at that, nodding his head furiously as he starts rocking back against Michael's thrusts. A peek down between them shows Ashton just how _hard_ Calum is, leaking all over his tummy.

Ashton feels guilty, suddenly, because he's pretty sure he hasn't been of much help. So, completely unannounced, he thrusts up, unintentionally at the same time Michael does. Whatever kind of feeling that produces, it must be _amazing_ , because suddenly Calum's collapsing back against Michael's chest, rolling his hips furiously and gasping out Ashton's name.

Michael grunts out a "Shit, _Ash_ ," before he fucks in harder, biting down on Calum's shoulder and holding his boyfriend still with one arm around his waist. Michael's lost his rhythm, but Ashton figures out how to make it work, thrusting his hips up as quickly as Michael is.

It's too good, the squeeze of Calum around them and the sinful feeling of Michael's cock sliding against his own every time they shift even slightly. He's going to come, he's almost positive on that. He's going to come _so_ quick, without any warning. And he's all ready to, his head tossed back in the pillows and desperate moans fighting their way out of his chest as his stomach tightens up and—

Calum comes instead. Ashton opens his eyes just in time to see it happen, Michael's fist stroking him through it as the boy makes these wounded noises, his eyes fluttering shut beautifully. He shoots all over his own stomach, but some of it lands on Ashton's chest, and the sight of that is what makes Ashton actually _whimper._

Michael's whispering into Calum's ear, his thrusts lightening up slightly and his hand slowing down as Calum breathes deep, coming back down from it.

Before Ashton really knows what he's doing, he reaches forward, swatting Michael's hand out of the way. Michael gives him a confused look, but allows it, gasping almost as loud as Calum does when Ashton makes a fist around Calum's cock and starts jerking him fast. Calum makes a noise like crying, but it's caught on a moan, so Ashton doesn't stop, just lightens up on the pressure a bit.

"I wanna see it again, fuck." Ashton pants, sounding as pleading and wrecked as he feels. He glances over Calum's shoulder at Michael, who's staring back at him with wide, lustful eyes and his mouth dropped open in wonder. "Can you make him come again? I've got to see it again."

Calum's whole body is shaking, his hips simultaneously ticking up into Ashton's touch and trying to shy away from the overstimulation. He hasn't even had a break since his orgasm; Ashton's been touching him the whole time. He takes it like a champ, though, whining high in his throat when he's not gasping out their names.

Michael starts fucking him again, hard enough that it rocks Calum's body forward into Ashton's fist, and all it takes is another minute and a relentless swirl of Ashton's thumb over the head of Calum's cock before Calum's coming again, dick twitching weakly.

He lets Calum go, then, knowing when enough is probably enough. Calum looks about ready to pass out, his eyes glazed over and simultaneously so damn blissful. Once he starts squirming in discomfort, Michael pulls out, removing his condom moments later, then gives Calum some room to climb off of Ashton, too.

"Come here." Ashton says, and Calum goes easily. He falls into Ashton's open arms, body still shaking slightly, and he kisses Ashton's mouth with a kind of purpose he hasn't really shown all night. He's been letting them lead him, instruct him, but now, he's allowing himself a bit of control, and Ashton loves it. When Calum pulls away to smile dreamily at him, Ashton tells him, "You did such a good job, Calum. A really, really good job."

Calum preens, smiling even wider as he gives Ashton kisses all over his face. It makes Ashton giggle, squirm away, turning his head to the side to escape Calum's attack.

He comes face to face with Michael, who's lying down beside him now, and the blond has a look in his eyes that Ashton's not entirely sure how to interpret. His green eyes keep flicking around Ashton's features, like he's seeing him in a whole new way, and Ashton finally feels properly exposed now, somehow.

Mostly to stop Michael from looking at him like that, but also because he really wants to, Ashton surges forward, giving Michael the deep kiss he's been dying to since this started. Michael hums against him, and Ashton can feel the weight of Michael's hand landing on his shoulder, and he's so distracted by Michael's mouth that he doesn't notice right away when Calum starts sliding down his body.

Of course, it's impossible _not_ to notice, once he registers the familiar feeling of Calum's hand wrapping around him. Ashton gasps softly, trying to look down as Calum peels the condom off and tosses it across the room, but Michael bites down on his lower lip, keeping him still. Keeping him close.

Wasting no time, Calum puts his mouth around Ashton's cock again, sucking him down and swallowing audibly so that there's no doubt in any of their minds that he's doing it. Ashton can hear it clear as day, the sound of Calum gagging on his cock and moaning around it, even over the sound of his own lips meeting Michael's over and over again.

There's something about it this time around that has Ashton falling apart more quickly. It's not that Calum's doing anything drastically different this time, because he's _not_. Probably it's that Ashton has Michael pressed up against him, kissing him with an intensity that Ashton actually can't believe, all while Calum's sucking him, his nose impressively flush against the base of Ashton's pelvis.

Ashton's already feeling it building, his gut tightening and burning and begging to let go with each movement of Calum's mouth along his length. Michael's kissing at his neck now, whispering encouragement into the skin there as he allows his hand to settle in Calum's hair to guide him. He's already squirming, panting out each of their names as he feels his orgasm threatening to wash over him at any second. So when Calum shifts himself so that he can slide one finger back inside Ashton's hole, all it takes is an unbearable tightening of Calum's throat and a purposeful curl of his finger against Ashton's prostate to have him flying over the edge, back arching and hips rocking up into Calum's mouth as he cries out the brunette's name.

"Calum, _Calum_ , holy shit," he hisses, and he feels tears pricking at the corners of his eyes, his vision dancing with black spots as he chases the amazing feeling that doesn't seem to ever end. Calum keeps his mouth around Ashton, continuing to suck and swallow everything down until Ashton doesn't have anything left to give him anymore.

When he comes back down, it's to the realization that Calum's pulled off and removed his finger and is now slowly kissing his way back up Ashton's shaking thighs and stomach. Michael's still sucking at his neck, but now that his brain is less chaotic, Ashton can register the obvious motion of what has to be Michael grinding against the mattress. Feeling bad, Ashton rolls over, pressing Michael down onto his back coincidentally just as Calum was leaning in for a kiss.

"Hey," Calum says, and Ashton can hear his pout without even looking his way. Ashton shushes him, adjusting himself so that his thighs are bracketing Michael's. The blond is sprawled out on his back, his skin flushed and sweaty as he squirms with his need for attention.

"C'mon, Cal. Give him a kiss." Ashton instructs, running his fingers down the expanse of Michael's pale, soft stomach. Calum obliges, of course he does, pressing himself up against Michael's side. Michael's already turning his head for it, his eyes slipping shut as Calum leans in and gives him a sweet little kiss.

While Michael's distracted, Ashton spits in his palm, reaching down and wrapping his hand around Michael's cock. The contact makes Michael's whole body jump, shocked, but Calum keeps right on kissing him when Ashton starts jerking Michael faster. His wrist is sore, his whole body spent, but he doesn't slow up. Michael deserves to be doted on a little bit for all of the orgasms he's contributed to tonight.

Calum pulls away for just a moment, smearing his lips across his boyfriend's cheek as he whispers, "God, love you, Mikey. Love you so fucking much, to the moon and back."

Ashton slows his movements down, then, because it feels like the right thing. Calum's kissing Michael so slowly, enough so that Michael's shaking with what almost looks like fear. It feels like a personal thing, like maybe Ashton shouldn't be a witness to this.

But the feeling of unsureness that settles heavy in Ashton's stomach doesn't get to stay there for long, because then Michael's gasping "Love you, too, Cal, _fuck_. _Ash_ ," before he's shooting all over Ashton's hand, up his own stomach and chest. He looks beautifully tortured when he comes, his mouth caught open on a noise that never comes and his eyebrows knitted high on his forehead. His body moves a whole lot, though, legs jerking like he wants to kick them out and hips grinding up into Ashton's fist wildly. Michael's got one hand on Calum's thigh when he comes, the other grasping at Ashton's forearm, and then he's yanking Ashton down to join in their dogpile.

Nobody says anything for several long moments while they lay there and attempt to catch their breaths. Michael's is the most erratic, since he's had the least recovery time, but it slows down pretty considerably the moment Calum presses a kiss to his shoulder.

"M'tired," Michael declares suddenly, and Ashton can't help but giggle, smothering the sound in Michael's chest.

Calum laughs, too, but louder. "Of course you are. Always get so sleepy once you come."

Without looking up at them, Ashton can feel Michael's body shift, and then Calum yelps, so he guesses the blond must've pinched him or something. "Fuck off, no I don't. You're such a bully."

Calum gives another low chuckle, and then Ashton feels lips pressing into his hair. He thinks they belong to Calum, since the current angle wouldn't really allow for Michael to kiss him right now. Ashton hums in approval, and Calum kisses him again, this time brushing his curls out of the way so he can kiss Ashton's temple nice and proper.

"Want me to get towels or something?" Ashton offers, rolling his head to the side so he can look up at them both. Calum's still close, a dopey smile on his face, and the brunette shakes his head.

"Nah, stay here, get comfy. I'll get them." Calum says, pushing himself off the bed with remarkable energy. Ashton definitely doesn't have that in him right now, so he just takes to kissing the skin in front of him, which happens to be Michael's collarbones.

Michael makes a happy sound, tugging Ashton upwards, and Ashton allows himself to be dragged. He's a bit bigger than Michael in some ways, broader, but he also finds that settling into Michael's arms is unbelievably easy to do. Michael makes himself comfortable, makes himself seem larger than he is, and Ashton can't resist snuggling into him.

"Thank you, by the way." Michael says suddenly, and Ashton's brows furrow.

"For what?" He asks, pushing up onto his elbow so he can look down at Michael.

Michael shrugs. "For knowing what he needed to hear without even being told. That's a thing for Calum, y'know? He doesn't always realize it, but he needs to be told how good he did. How good he's _being._ He gets scared otherwise, starts thinking maybe we're not as into it as he is." The blond looks up, meeting Ashton's eyes and smiling gently at him. "We didn't even have to explain that to you. S'like, you just _knew_. And that's amazing. That means so much more than you know."

Ashton blushes, leaning down and bumping Michael's nose with his own. "Of course," he whispers, returning the kiss that Michael pulls him down for. They stay like that, kissing all slow and sweet, until there's a familiar dip in the mattress that signifies Calum joining them once again.

"No kissing without me." Calum says quietly, his voice taking on that childish tone again. This time, Ashton can see him pouting, and it makes him laugh.

"Gotta get used to it. Ashton loves my kisses." Michael fires back, and Ashton focuses on trying to ignore the spark of hope those words give him. To him, those words sound a lot like they're going be kissing Ashton more often, like he's going to be around as an easily accessible person to kiss. And he wants that, he does, he's just hoping that Michael means it in the same way Ashton's desperately wanting to interpret it.

Calum doesn't add on, though, so Ashton's just left wondering, for now. He's sure sometime soon they'll address what feels like the elephant in the room—the lingering question of what they're supposed to do now that the fun is over. Are they going to keep Ashton around for the night? Are they going to keep in touch? Are they even going to acknowledge that tonight happened, after they wake up tomorrow morning and it's officially behind them?

Instead of asking these questions, Ashton just lays back against the mattress, allowing Calum to drag a wet rag over the mess of come on his stomach. He does the same thing to Michael, and then himself, before he gets up again to toss the dirty cloth into the hamper.

"You're staying the night, right?" Calum asks nervously, pulling on the comforter as he approaches the bed. Michael's already slid underneath it, but Ashton's been lingering, unsure if joining Michael in the warmth of the blankets was a step too far. He doesn't want to assume anything.

But Calum's looking at him with hopeful eyes, and Michael's suddenly tracing his thumb over the skin of Ashton's thigh, and he feels himself relax. "Um. I was going to, if that's okay?"

Michael chuckles and nods an affirmation, pulling back the covers and making a space for Ashton to climb into. Ashton does so, laying down beside Michael with the covers draped over his waist as he watches Calum slide into the empty spot beside him. He's sandwiched between them, Michael half asleep against his shoulder and Calum curling into his other side.

Calum kisses him then, even though Michael isn't even awake to witness it, and that's when Ashton starts to finally realize they weren't kidding. This was never about a sex thing; they didn't do it for each other. They did it because they genuinely liked Ashton, because Ashton liked them back. Calum's not afraid to kiss him when Michael's not watching, in the same way that it feels so right to kiss Michael despite Calum not being around. In the same way that knowing Michael and Calum have kissed thousands of times without him doesn't spark any jealousy in Ashton.

When Calum pulls away, smiley and sleepy, Ashton turns his neck the other direction, placing a feather-light kiss to Michael's hair. The blond shifts, makes a little snuffling noise, before one of his arms wraps around Ashton's midsection, unconsciously reaching to touch Calum, to touch them both at once. Ashton's heart swells, and he falls asleep easier than he has in years.

*******

The next morning, Ashton wakes up in an awkward but surprisingly comforting heap of blankets and morning breath. His vision is slightly blurred when he opens his eyes, and the room is unfamiliar at first, but the bodies snuggled up to him aren't.

Michael's still asleep, which Ashton has reason to believe isn't all that uncommon, but Calum's awake. And it's after that realization that Ashton comes to notice the only reason _he’d_ woken up—Calum's kissing him, all over his chest and shoulders and neck.

"Good morning," Calum whispers, and Ashton's smile comes effortlessly.

"Morning," Ashton replies, lifting a hand to lazily card his fingers through Calum's sleep-mussed hair. Calum's brown eyes are hooded in that way that always comes after sleep, and he yawns shortly after Ashton speaks, so Ashton guesses he hasn't actually been awake that long.

The sun isn't all the way up, yet, meaning it's probably only around eight or so. And he's still tired—exhausted, even—but sleeping would mean missing out on this. Whatever this is, Ashton never wants to miss any of it.

Calum gives Ashton a kiss on the nose before he rolls over some more, shifting the focus of his kisses to Michael's body. Ashton determinedly does not feel saddened about the loss of Calum's lips, instead refocusing his efforts onto giving Michael gentle kisses to the face.

It's not long before Michael's squirming to consciousness, grumbling with it. Ashton doesn't blame him—it sucks to be roused when your body is still so tired.

"Fuck off," Michael says, but he's smiling, and he's rolling onto his back to accept more kisses. Calum eagerly gives Michael all of the kisses he can, all of the kisses Michael could ever ask for from him. Ashton just tries to keep up, giving Michael tender pecks to the cheek until Michael tilts his head and gives Ashton the first formal lip lock of the morning.

Ashton hums, stroking Michael's face gently with his fingers before he guides Calum up to join them. He gives Calum a kiss, too, then rolls over to stretch a bit while Calum leans down to kiss his boyfriend nice and proper.

"What's for breakfast?" Ashton asks.

It goes quiet for a second, and when Ashton glances over at the two boys beside him, they're both looking at each other, before they turn back to Ashton and shrug.

"I dunno, cereal?" Calum offers, and Michael nods like that's a solid plan.

Ashton groans, shaking his head. He can only imagine how many mornings the two of them have spent shoveling junk cereal into their mouths, but that won't happen on his watch.

"Absolutely not." Ashton says, sitting up. He purposefully ignores the way both of their eyes trail along his exposed torso, and he especially ignores the beautiful little dart of Michael's tongue over his own lips at the sight. "How about I make you pancakes, hm? Maybe some eggs and orange juice to go with?"

Calum beams, lunging off of Michael in order to tackle Ashton back against the bed. He kisses Ashton relentlessly, and Ashton doesn't fight it, just tries to return the kisses even though Calum moves too quickly for him to get in more than an awkward peck or two on the corner of his mouth.

"Pancakes would be great." Calum says honestly, smiling wide.

"He even offers to cook for us!" Michael exclaims, sounding astonished as he cocoons himself back into them, reconstructing their cramped cuddle from the night before. He gives Ashton a lazy smirk before closing his eyes and resting his cheek on Ashton's chest, right over his heart, and Ashton wonders if Michael can hear it racing. "We definitely need to keep him, Cal."

Calum doesn't say anything back, just smiles at Ashton in that adoring way he did back at the bar, like Ashton's the sun and Calum's just trying to stay in his light, before he settles back in to sleep some more, too. To Ashton, that seems like an agreement.

Ashton decides the pancakes can wait, for now, as he drifts back to sleep with an arm around each of his boys, deciding that he definitely doesn't have a problem with this. He's right where he wants to be.

**Author's Note:**

> hmu on [tumblr](http://dafeedil.tumblr.com/), we can talk about stuff. Or you can tell me how much you hated this. I don't even care


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